Dark Reflections
by October Ashes
Summary: DX is back and continues to wreck havoc on Raw. A sick and twisted fan decides to take matters into his own hands and show off to Vince by kidnapping a member of DX. What will happen on Raw with only one member of DX left? M for violence and language.
1. Don't You Know It's Violation?

Dark Reflections

Shawn Michaels and Triple H have recreated D-Generation X and wrecked havoc on Raw. Vince McMahon is disgusted but doesn't try too hard to get rid of them. A sick and twisted fan decides he wants to get involved and show off to Vince McMahon by kidnapping Shawn Michaels. What is Vince McMahon's reaction and how will it affect everyone else? What will the fans reactions be when he learns that Vince McMahon will be teaming up with Triple H of D-X to get Shawn back at all costs?

Characters: Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, OC

Chapter 1:  
Don't You Know It's Violation?

The "newly" reformed D-Generation X sat in their locker room to try and decide what to do next. They did almost everything thinkable to the McMahons and they didn't seem to care enough to fire them. Oh well. Such as life.

"Ya know… This is getting a little boring..,"

Triple H's thoughts were interrupted by Shawn's annoying voice.

"Vince isn't going to do anything to get back at us. It's like he doesn't even care that week in and week out we're humiliating him on national television… It's like talking to a wall, which I'm practically doing right now…" Shawn stated.

He looked at Triple H, who was a little zoned out. He snapped out of it and looked at Shawn.

"Huh? What did you say? Something about ice cream..? Mmmmmmm… I like ice cream…"

Shawn nodded his head in disgust. He really knew Triple H too well.

"Hunter! You're not even paying attention! I was talking about ice cream two hours ago! I was saying that pranking Vince is getting boring…" Shawn stated and watched as Paul slowly nodded his head.

"Yeah… It is… Wait! What? No! No! It's not getting boring! Well… Waiting for a decent response is… But, in all seriousness. The pranks have been fun…" Triple H responded and stood up.

Shawn looked up at him.

"Where ya goin', Hunter?" He asked and stood up to face him.

Triple H motioned toward the door.

"I'm going to the cafeteria to get a drink. I'm really thirsty. You want something?" Triple H asked.

Shawn nodded his head no, so he turned and left the locker room. Shawn sat back down and thought about the pranks. Did they really go over the line with what they did to the McMahons? Probably not. Vince has acted like such a prick in the past to a lot of the guys, and for that, he was currently in the process of paying for.

* * *

Paul

Paul headed straight to the cafeteria and bought a Coke from the vending machine. He never knew how right Shawn was when he said that soda would never quench your thirst. Paul threw the bottle in the garbage and decided to buy a lemon Gatorade. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Vince McMahon enter the cafeteria and get a cup of coffee.

"What's up, Vince?" Paul asked.

Although their current onscreen characters were fighting, Triple H still loved his father-in-law and vice versa. Vince smiled at him and took a sip of his coffee.

"Ah… Nothing… The usual… Where's your other half?" Vince asked, obviously looking for Shawn.

"Ah, he's in the D-X locker room. He thinks that the pranks are getting a bit boring because you aren't fighting back or something… I wasn't really paying attention… His voice irritates me sometimes …" Paul stated and chuckled.

Vince laughed along with him.

"Yeah… I agree with you to a certain extent. Sometimes I close my eyes and pretend it's someone else… He has good ideas, Paul. You need to learn to pay more attention to him… However, I need you to go get him. I want to have a meeting before the show." Vince stated.

"All right," Paul told him and turned to face the vending machine.

He decided to get a diet Pepsi for Shawn incase he wanted something to drink and didn't say anything. He turned back and saw Vince raise an eyebrow.

"For Shawn… Just in case… Meet you back here as soon as I can get him out of the locker room." Paul announced and marched away.

Vince watched him and nodded his head in amusement.

"How did I meet him again..?" He sarcastically asked himself.

Paul was heading back to the D-X locker room when he saw Stone Cold Steve Austin. He had to stop and say hi.

"Woo! Steve! Hey! How is everything? What's up, how ya been?" Paul asked him.

Steve turned to look at him and smiled.

"Oh! Hey Paul. I'm all right, thanks. What's up with you? I heard you and Shawn got D-X back together. You got the McMahons good, I'll tell ya that…" Steve replied.

"Thanks, Steve. I appreciate it. I know a lot of people don't really approve of D-X being back and all… People say we're too old and Shawn is too religious… But we're getting by all right… Nobody's done anything… Ya know…" Paul stated and watched as Steve shifted uncomfortably.

"You mean… Threats..? Death threats..? Don't even bring those up. Not a word of that to Shawn, either… Even if you're 'only saying'… You know nobody likes to hear about that crap…" Steve told Paul and leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.

"Yeah, yeah, I know… It's all right, though. Shawn is much more down to earth nowadays. He's almost normal…" Paul sarcastically stated.

Steve scoffed.

"Yeah… You give me a definition of normal, and then we'll see who really fits it. Where is he anyway?" Steve asked.

Paul pointed down the hall.

"Ah, he's in the locker room. I went to the cafeteria for a drink but I ran into Vince and he told me about a meeting… In which I had to come back this way to get Shawn… I ran into you and couldn't help but stop and chat. Vince can wait, in all seriousness…" Paul told Steve.

"Yeah, I agree… I don't wanna hold you up any more… I'm gonna be here for the rest of the night, anyway… Go get Shawn and head over to your meeting with Vince. Tell him that I'm around if he needs me for anything…" Steve stated.

Paul chuckled at him.

"Instead of waiting for Vince to call you, why don't you just come with me and Shawn to the meeting? I mean… Come with me to get Shawn really quick and we'll head over to the cafeteria for the meeting," Paul paused and looked at Steve's face.

Steve raised an eyebrow and was thinking about answering, but Paul continued.

"Aw, come on… Vince will be really happy to see you!" Paul shouted and grabbed hold of Steve's arm.

He dragged him down the hallway to the D-X locker room.

* * *

Shawn

There was a knock on the door. Shawn got up and opened it to see a man looking at him in an odd way.

"Uh… How can I help you?" Shawn asked the man.

The man looked Shawn over.

"I'm here to speak with either Shawn Michaels or Triple H. I can see that you're Shawn Michaels. Is Triple H around?" The man asked and looked around the locker room.

Shawn, still a bit confused, stared at the man and nodded his head no.

"Um… No… Sorry. Triple H just stepped out for a little while. May I ask what this is about? Do you have a pass to be backstage at this moment?" Shawn asked.

The man chuckled in Shawn's face.

"You mean a backstage pass? You're funny, Michaels," The man paused and showed Shawn a shield, which made him believe he was an undercover police officer.

"I'm Officer Jack Traven with the Precinct. I was asked to bring you in, in regards to some disturbance in the neighborhood." The man replied.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not going to argue with you. All right I'll come..," Shawn paused for a second to think.

He was into movies, and he vaguely remembered there being a movie called _Speed_ starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Reeves' character was Officer Jack Traven.

"So, I guess some people mistaken you for Keanu Reeves, huh? I remember that his name was Officer Jack Traven in the movie _Speed_. That was a great movie…" Shawn said and turned around for a moment to grab his jacket, but was suddenly hit in the head.

He fell to the ground and rolled onto his back to see the man holding a lead pipe. Shawn grabbed the back of his head while the man started to stomp on him.

"Shit! How did you know that?" The man shouted and started beating Shawn with the pipe.

Before Shawn knew it, almost every part of his body ached and he was coughing blood up from only God knew what. The man grabbed Shawn and pulled him to his feet.

"Aw, God…" Shawn groaned at the act. He was battered and bloodied. Jack Traven put Shawn's arm around his own shoulders and walked out of the locker room with him.

On the way to the parking lot, they passed Pat Patterson, a long time WWE Road Agent.

"You need help there, sir? Oh my God! Shawn! Is he ok," Pat asked and ran over to them.

"Er… Yeah… I was just going to transport him to the hospital. He took a nasty fall down the stairs..," The officer paused and watched as Shawn doubled over and spat blood out of his mouth. Pat took a step back as well.

"I was told to rush him straight to the…" Pat decided to cut the man off.

"Sir, may I see some ID? Why are you here?" He asked Jack Traven.

Pat wasn't as dumb as the man hoped he would be. Pat saw how tight the man's grip on Shawn was and refused to believe that he was transporting Shawn to a hospital. He had seen plenty of guys fall down a flight of stairs and get up afterwards with just about a bump on their head or a minor broken bone. Never in his life had he saw somebody as beaten as Shawn was at the moment. The officer searched his pocket for his shield, but couldn't find it. Instead, he hit Pat with the pipe and dragged Shawn out of the arena.

Paul and Steve arrived at the D-X locker room. Paul tried to open the door but it was locked. The two looked at each other.

"I didn't think Shawn would lock you out…" Steve sarcastically stated.

Paul gave him a dirty look and knocked on the door.

"Shawn? Open the door!" Paul yelled and started banging on it.

He put his ear to it and didn't hear anything. He backed up and kicked it down. The sight inside made Paul drop the diet Pepsi he had bought for Shawn.

Pat Patterson was lying on the ground with a bruise on his forehead.

"Awww… My head…" Pat moaned.

Paul looked around the locker room. There was a musty smell of blood in the air.

"What the hell happened..? Where's Shawn?" Paul screamed and ran out of the locker room to look around the hallway.

Steve went to follow, but heard something make a noise once he took a step forward. He picked up his foot and saw a police shield that was on the verge of cracking under his weight. Steve bent over and picked it up, only to find out it was fake.

"Paul..?" Steve asked, making him turn around. Paul growled when Steve showed it to him.

Pat sat up slowly and looked at Paul and Steve.

"Paul..? That you..? Paul… Some guy took… Shawn…" Pat slowly stated, the memories flooding back into his head.

Both Paul and Steve turned to look at him.

"What?" Steve shouted.

Paul knelt down to look Pat in the eyes.

"Is that all you remember? Tell me what happened."

"Ok… All right… I was by the entrance to the parking lot and some guy came around the corner from this direction. He had Shawn's arm around his shoulder and was helping him walk. Paul… He was… Barely conscious. He was battered… Bruises all over him… Blood on his face, his shirt… And his arms… He was even spitting blood up," Pat paused to look Paul in the eyes.

He was on the verge of crying.

"I saw this and stopped them… The guy said Shawn fell down the stairs and that he was told to transport him to the hospital. When I asked for an ID, he took out a pipe and hit me in the head. He must've dragged Shawn out of here and came back to bring me to your locker room as a sign or something …" Pat told him.

"So… What you're saying… Is that… Shawn was just… Kidnapped?" Paul asked.

"Apparently so… I'm sorry Paul… I'm just too old… In my youth I would've been able to stop him…" Pat sighed.

He was really bummed out.

"It's ok, Pat. Don't worry. I should've been here the whole time… I wonder how that jerk off got backstage… I gotta tell Vince! Should we call the cops?" Paul shouted, almost all in one breath.

He was starting to lose his cool. Steve grabbed onto Paul's shoulders and shook him back and forth.

"Paul! Relax! I bet that guy used this fake police shield to get back here and passed himself off as an undercover cop to Shawn… Something must've happened and the guy decided to take his anger out on Shawn before he left the arena…" Steve stated.

Paul narrowed his eyes angrily.

"True as that _may_ be, Steve… It doesn't help the fact he was just kidnapped in a place where he's supposed to be safe." Paul paused for a moment to think.

Steve sighed.

"I know, Paul… I know… But… We have to do something. I mean, we can't just stand here and talk about it; it's going to get us nowhere…"

Paul snapped his fingers, making Steve stop talking.

"You're right… We have to tell Vince."

* * *

**A/N: I decided to change some stuff here and there when I edited it. Nothing major was changed. The main edit was a new short paragraph (as those of you who read this before can tell) and punctuation. Oooh, and the name of the chapter. It's a line in the song 'All These Lives' by Chris Daughtry. Enjoy!**


	2. The Devil's Among Us

Dark Reflections

Chapter 2

The Devil's Among Us

The police officer dragged Shawn to a car and threw him in the back seat like he was nothing. He locked the car and ran back to quickly dispose of Pat Patterson in the D-Generation X locker room. He made sure that he locked the door before running back to the car. He jumped in and turned to see that Shawn had doubled over and was groaning in pain. He started the car and began to drive away from the arena, constantly looking up at the rear-view mirror to see if Shawn was coming too or not.

"I guess you're wondering what my name is, huh?" He asked Shawn once he got on the highway.

"Yeah..." Shawn whispered.

He was too weak to stay fully aware of what was going on. The man saw this and smiled.

"The name is Jamie… Jamie Jones. It's very nice to meet you, by the way. I've been a fan of Vince McMahon ever since he appeared on his father's promotions. Then I gained more respect for him when he took over the company out of the blue and gobbled up the territories. My favorite example of this was with WCW. Ted Turner had it coming... That stupid jerk thought he could take on the great Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Ha-ha!" He replied with a smile.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Shawn asked.

"Oh? What? You mean you've forgotten about D-Generation X? How could you possibly have forgotten about those two selfish bastards who have been making Mr. McMahon's life a miserable hell since June? What is it, Michaels? Did I hit you too hard in the head? Are you not feeling well? Do you want Triple H? Oh of course you do! You two can't survive without one another! D-X is nothing without the two of you! That's why... Aha... I'm smart. I figure that if you eliminate one member of D-X, the other will be fair game for Mr. McMahon and his resources. And since I ran into you... Well... I figured you were good enough. It's quite fun watching Triple H get annihilated on television." Jamie stated with a sick smile.

Shawn was angry, but Jamie was right about him. He hit him in the head too hard. He wasn't feeling well, and most important, he wanted Paul. Paul made him feel like he wasn't an outcast in the business and that he belonged somewhere. Shawn wanted to speak out against this guy, but felt that ever so famous darkness try to take over him. He was fading, and he was fading fast.

"What do you..?" Shawn started to talk, but blacked out mid sentence.

Jamie looked up at the rear view mirror and saw that Shawn had blacked out. He smiled evilly to himself and kept driving. He was heading out of the city and state for that matter, going from Des Moines, Iowa to Fremont, Ohio. He thought about how Mr. McMahon would appreciate his interest in protecting his territory from the annoying D-Generation X.

"Oh... You have no idea what I have planned for you, Mr. Michaels... You might have changed from the first time you were in D-X, but... You still go along with those stupid pranks that your best friend Triple H comes up with... Lemme ask you this... Where is he now, huh? You always have his back. Where was he to have yours..? Sooner or later, I will get you separated from Triple H. And D-X will be no more."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter. I think I needed to take that break from the violence... LOL. So... What do you think? R & R.  
Edit: The chapter's title is a line in the song 'All Hope Is Gone' by Slipknot. I didn't find much to change in this chapter and I like its shortness, so I'm going to leave it the way it is… Was… XD**


	3. Things Fall Apart

Dark Reflections

Chapter 3

Things Fall Apart

It took Steve several more minutes to calm Paul down, although the man had every right to be panicking. Once Pat was checked out by the medical trainer, the trio headed over to Vince McMahon in the cafeteria. He was sitting at a table with his son Shane waiting impatiently for D-Generation X to arrive. Once he saw them enter the cafeteria, however, he got a sick feeling in his stomach that something bad had happened.

"Where's Shawn?" Vince asked.

"Vince... I swear you would never believe what happened..." Paul began.

Shane cut him off. "Hey! My dad asked you where Shawn was! You should know by now that you don't give him a long explanation. You give him a direct answer," Shane paused for a moment and laughed.

He looked at Paul, who was very serious at the time and didn't think it was funny.

"I'm sorry. I was only joking. Seriously, though. Where is our blonde-haired green-eyed friend?" Shane asked.

Pat cleared his throat, making both the McMahon men look at him. "Mr. McMahon, some crazy ass bastard came backstage and kidnapped Michaels."

The McMahon men blinked several times before looking at each other and bursting out laughing.

"Oh, come on! There _has_ to be a better excuse then that! I mean, if he's sick or something just say he had too many burritos from Taco Bell... Don't say he was kidnapped!" Shane shouted and kept laughing.

"He's serious," Paul stated, making the two stop laughing.

"When I came from talking to dad the D-X locker room was... Well... Locked. I kicked the door down and found Pat unconscious. Steve found a fake police shield. The guy must've passed himself off for a police officer to the security guards and to Shawn... Pat... Tell him what you told me and Steve." Paul stated.

"I was standing out by the parking lot. A guy came around the bend from the D-X part of the hallway. He had Shawn and was helping him walk. Vince, it looked like... I don't know... It looked like Michaels was hit by 5 cars rapid fire. He was battered and bruised. I don't know where exactly he was bleeding from, but there was blood all over him. He was even coughing it up. I stopped the guy and asked him what had happened. He said that Shawn fell down the stairs and he was asked to transport him to a hospital. When I asked for some ID, the guy freaked out and hit me with a pipe. If he did that to me, God only knows what he did to Shawn." Pat told Vince McMahon, who fell silent with rage.

Shane looked over at his father.

"What are we gonna do, dad? Is there a security camera in the D-X locker room?" Shane asked.

Paul looked at Pat, then back at Shane.

"I think so. But what good is that gonna do? We're only going to be able to see what he did to Shawn. It doesn't really mean we'll be able to see his face or anything." Paul replied.

"Well, we have the fake badge he had. We can give it to the cops and they can scan it for fingerprints or something. I'm the only one that touched it, so I don't think it'll be too much of a problem." Steve stated.

"I'll go grab some of the event cops and get them over here." Pat announced and walked away.

Vince was enraged.

"What the hell are we gonna do now?" He shouted.

"Dad, calm down! Shawn wouldn't want you to go crazy over this. The show must go on, right? Sadly, we're gonna have to do this show without Shawn... Even though we had a good prank in mind... Let's just re-script it really quick. It could be something dumb like you and me joining forces and issuing a warning to whoever kidnapped Shawn..." Paul stopped talking when he saw the joy in Vince's eyes.

Had he just given him an idea?

"That's a great idea, Paul! If we have footage of what happened, you can pull it up on the Tron and blame me, but then I'll come out and deny it. Then we agree that the war is postponed until Shawn is brought back and say that we have unlimited resources, which is true this time. You have the faces and we have the heels." Vince stated with a large smile on his face.

"Show re-scripted." Shane announced.

Vince hadn't noticed that Shane was conversing with his sister about the show, arguing back and forth over the change of plans so soon to the show's start time.

* * *

10 Minutes Later...

Paul re-located to the D-X locker room to think about what could've happened. All he was thinking about was how he should've been there to protect Shawn. Maybe things would've been different if he was there with Shawn at the time the guy kidnapped him. Pat Patterson entered the locker room and walked over to Paul. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"Paul... Listen, I know this is hard for you... But... Um... I just wanted to tell you that we got some video of what happened in here... If you want to look at it, that is..." Pat told him.

Paul looked up at Pat. He looked clearly disgusted. Paul stood up and walked out the door to the production truck.

Shane turned to look at Paul as he entered the truck.

"Um... I strongly don't recommend you watching this video..." Shane told him.

Paul turned to glare at him, so Shane shrugged his shoulders and played the video. The voices weren't too clear, but Paul was able to connect the bits and pieces he heard.

_"I'm Officer Jack Traven with the Precinct. I was asked to bring you in, in regards to some disturbance in the neighborhood," _The man stated.

_"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not going to argue with you. Alright I'll come..,"_ Shawn replied.

Paul saw that he had made a connection and got an idea.

_"So, I guess some people mistaken you for Keanu Reeves, huh? I remember that his name was Officer Jack Traven in the movie Speed. That was a great movie..."_ Shawn continued and turned around to get his jacket.

Paul's eyes were ignited with fury as he watched the unidentified man's eyes widen with Shawn's statement. He pulled a lead pipe out of his belt and hit Shawn with it.

_"Shit! How did you know that?"_ The man shouted as he beat Shawn down, stomped him out and watched as he doubled over in pain.

Paul, for some odd reason, kept watching. He watched as Shawn's body was wracked with coughs, before finally turning onto his side and spitting blood out of his mouth.

The man grabbed hold of Shawn and pulled him to his feet.

_"Aw, God..."_ Shawn moaned.

He was barely able to walk, even with the man's help. Paul turned away from the video and fought away his tears. Shane turned it off and looked back at his father, Steve, Pat and Paul.

"Sick bastard..." Pat mumbled and looked away.

Vince was in shock.

"I... don't... believe this..." He stated and looked at his son in law.

Paul suddenly ran out of the truck. Steve turned around and ran after him.

"Hey! Paul! Are you ok?" Steve shouted after him.

Paul was leaning head first against a wall and looked as if he was sick to his stomach.

"That... Son of a bitch," Paul shouted and slammed his fist against the wall.

"He'll pay! I swear he'll pay! Why didn't I stay with Shawn in the locker room? If I stayed there this would never have happened! I should have been there with him! It's my fault!" Paul shouted continuously.

"Paul, I'm pretty damn sure you didn't tell that freak to come to the arena and do that. It's not your damn fault, do you hear me? You can't reverse time, Paul. There's nothing you can do but wait... I'm sorry... But that's the way things have to be." Steve told him.

Vince and Shane joined them in their current location.

"The show is going to start in about 10 minutes. Everyone is alerted about the sudden change, but no details were given as to why. Everyone will find out at the show what went down before with Shawn..." Shane stated.

"Yeah... Paul, we're really sorry. Security is gonna be sorry too. This will never happen again, and I won't rest peacefully until Shawn is home... Here, where he belongs." Vince told him.

Paul looked over at Vince.

"Dad... After what happened to him tonight... I don't think Shawn will ever be comfortable in a WWE arena ever again... When we get him back, you make sure to ask him if he wishes to uphold his contract or end it early." Paul angrily stated, turned on his heels and stomped away.

* * *

Raw

Just as planned, Raw started with Paul heading to the ring in his D-Generation X colors. Many fans were looking around for Shawn, and Paul knew how they felt. The fans weren't used to seeing Paul enter the ring by himself. Paul wasn't used to being able to walk down to the ring at his own speed without looking out for Shawn while he ran in circles around Paul. JR. and Jerry Lawler looked quite curious as well. They weren't aware of what went on backstage, but they would soon find out.

Paul stepped in the ring and took a mic from Lillian Garcia. He stood in the middle of the ring and looked around.

"Sorry, guys, there won't be any usual D-X routine done out here tonight. I want to have a few words with Vince McMahon. That jack off has crossed me for the last time! I can understand attacking me and Shawn in the parking lot and all the absurd matches... But now you've gone too far! Take a look at this," Paul paused and pointed up at the Tron.

The video of what happened backstage between Shawn and the supposed police officer played. The whole time the video was playing, Paul kept his eyes focused away from the Tron. He didn't want to watch it again. Once it was over, he looked around at the fans.

"Now that you've seen it... I want to ask you... Was any of the pranks we pulled on Vince McMahon worth doing that to Shawn? Honestly, did Shawn deserve what happened to him? I didn't think so. I'm going to say... Not even the great Vincent Kennedy McMahon himself deserved something like that."

Soon enough, Vince McMahon came out to a rather confused crowd. They shouted 'asshole' at him.

"Well... Well... Triple H... I can see you're angry, but don't point the finger unless you know who actually committed the crime. I am obviously not the man in the video you pulled up on the Tron, so you can't blame me. And I have resources to take care of Shawn right here in this arena. Now why would I want to go and do something as stupid as that? I can assure you that I was not behind the kidnapping of your fellow degenerate... And neither was my son Shane or any of our resources." Vince replied.

Paul looked at him and looked away, as if also agreeing in his mind.

"Ok. Let's say you are innocent and you weren't behind this... Who was it then? And why? Cause you know... You have plenty of reasons and, obviously you can get anyone you want to do your dirty work."

"See, Triple H, that's where you're wrong. I would never in a million years attack somebody or send someone to attack somebody with that type of brutality, and in front of a security camera nevertheless. That's not my style, even if you two degenerates did... Wreck my limo, my aircraft and my corporate headquarters..." Vince angrily stated.

"See, now... You just proved a point. You're a really big asshole. You just tried to prove yourself to be innocent, but then you said something to incriminate yourself... Now... This might sound odd but I am starting to believe that you're innocent." Paul replied.

"Ok, Triple H, ok. You know what, I am innocent whether you like it or not... Whether the fans like it or not. My mind may be deranged, but I'm not that psychotic. I have standards I go by, and I don't think it's necessary to attack a man as brutally as that one did to Shawn Michaels... And do it in front of a security camera... That's not me, Triple H, and you know that. I prefer attacks in the parking lot and the cafeteria." Vince told Paul with a snicker.

Paul looked at the extremely confused crowd.

"Alright. So you didn't do it. You're innocent. Who did it then? And what are you going to do about it?"

Vince tried to see if Paul was being serious or not.

"What do you mean by that? What am I going to do about it?" Vince asked.

Paul grew angry and gripped onto the top rope to keep from screaming at Vince.

"What I meant was... What the hell are you going to do about the kidnapping? Shawn is your employee, whether you like it or not. You have to do something about it. You can't let it slide no matter what you think of him."

Vince was obviously thinking about the situation. He truly didn't kidnap Shawn, nor did anyone he was associated with. He agreed with Paul, also. Mostly where he said that Shawn was his employee. He felt obligated to defend and protect his employees. Shawn did a lot for Vince and the company... And Shawn had been through so much in the past... How could he possibly let Shawn down now?

"Alright. Triple H, I have a proposition for you... You knock out your little D-X tactics... The spray-painted tag signs, I mean... And... I'll help you locate Shawn Michaels. You and me join forces, just this once. Once we find Shawn, all bets are off. What do you say?" Vince asked.

Paul looked around at the crowd before turning back to face Vince.

"Well, I have something to add to that. If I stop spray-painting the D-X tag, you stop forcing me into stupid ass pointless matches!"

Vince seemed a bit angry.

"I'm the one helping you out, Triple H." He told him.

"Oh no you are not! You're trying to prove your ass innocent in the D-Generation X court of law!" Paul replied.

Vince just stared at Paul. The two were staring each other down, obviously deep in thought.

"Alright, alright. No pointless matches... I promise..." Vince finally gave in.

Paul nodded his head in approval.

"Good. Exactly what I want to hear. Vince... You... You got yourself a deal... No more stupid matches, no more spray-painted D-X tags... It's just you, me and some resources looking for Shawn... And, I'm making sure of it that as soon as he is returned we go back to old time's sake. That means... The moment Shawn steps through a WWE arena doorway, we will be getting spray-paint and tearing up the joint! There will be... roosters... All over the place! Because in the end, Vince McMahon... D-X will only have two words for ya!" Paul listened to the fans scream the ever so famous two words, and in his heart wished his best friend would've heard the response.

"You know what, Triple H? I wouldn't have it any other way," Vince paused to think for a moment.

He walked backstage then reappeared on the ramp way.

"When it's all said and done, Hunter... I want you and Shawn to put this all over the backstage area." Vince revealed a 'Vince Likes...' shirt with a large rooster on it.

Paul looked it at when he noticed the fans going crazy. He smiled, but the smile quickly faded as he tried to hide his emotions.

"Oh... We will..." He managed to mumble before tossing down his mic, which automatically cued D-X's music.

* * *

Backstage

When they arrived backstage, Steve, Shane, Stephanie and some members of the event security team were waiting for them. Paul broke down and cried as he hugged his wife. Stephanie patted his back.

"You'll get him back, Paul. We all will. I saw the video," Stephanie paused and watched as her husband picked up his head to face her.

"And I passed it along to the local police. They sent a positive ID on this guy. His name is Austin Payne. He's never done anything against the law before. The cops have a reason to believe that this guy has been waiting for this moment since February... And," Stephanie paused again, now realizing everyone was listening to her.

"If Shawn wasn't in the locker room... Payne would've gone after the next guy on his list," Stephanie looked at Paul. "Who just so happens to be you, Paul."

"I don't understand..." Paul stated.

Shane grew quite angry and decided to lash out.

"Don't you get it? How can you not understand? This guy is obviously highly agitated with the recreation of D-Generation X! You still seem a bit confused. Let me break it down for you. If this guy was planning the kidnapping of Shawn since February, we can tell who he's a die-hard fan of," Shane turned to look at his father. "Obviously this guy is outraged and has been that way since Shawn started to revolt against you... Mostly in February. And you, Paul, have been revolting against my dad since May. That makes you another target in this guys mind if I'm right about the motives." Shane stated.

"Why didn't you just become a cop? The guys down at head office think it's the same motives as you." An officer stated from behind.

"That means you have to be surveillance 24/7, Mr. Levesque. We can't risk having you kidnapped as well." The other police officer stated, backing up his partners statement.

Paul turned to look at him.

"I'd rather be with Shawn. I'd rather see what this Payne guy is doing to him then be on the outside not knowing what the hell is going on." Paul replied.

Shane stepped up to him.

"You're being an asshole and you're scaring your wife. Think about what the hell you're saying! I know you're really pissed. I know you're thinking of all the 'what if's,' and I definitely know you would switch places with Shawn in a hot second if you could! Because I would too. And because I can't, I have to work on this side of the situation and help bring him back in one piece. So pull yourself together and help us! You need to be protected! You never know if this guy will just throw Shawn away and grab you instead. Aurora doesn't need to slowly figure out in her head that her daddy is missing, and Declan and Kenney don't need to realize their uncle vanished. Protect the ones you love by protecting yourself."

"And when did you get so smart?" Steve sarcastically asked, trying to make a joke to ease the moment.

Shane turned to look at him.

"I really feel strongly about this. I don't want anything to happen to Paul, that's all... I'm not saying that Shawn was expandable because he wasn't family because that's a lie. Shawn is family. I'm just saying... That... We can't let it happen again, ya know? Oh, and I was smart since I graduated from Boston University back in 1996, thank you very much." Shane stated and put a doofy smile on his face.

"Shane is right, Paul. You really can't think negatively about this." Stephanie told him.

Paul looked back at her.

"Steph! If you saw that video you would be thinking negatively about this too! Did you honestly see what that guy did to Shawn? If he did that in front of a security camera, imagine what he's going to do behind a camera! God only knows where this guy Payne is taking Shawn and what he's planning to do to him!" Paul screamed and forced himself away from the group.

Vince looked at everyone surrounding him.

"Just... Make sure nobody gets in to this arena. Nobody gets in or out until the show ends," Vince paused and watched as the event security team marched away from him, then turned to look at the police officers, Shane, Stephanie and Steve.

"Can you three just work on calming him down? I know it's going to be hard... That's what I get for letting him hang with the Kliq 12 years ago," Vince saw a small smile appear on their faces.

"Just go and cool his jets," He stated and watched them walk away.

"Ok. What can we do about this guy? Where do you think he's going?" Vince asked the officers.

"Well... In most kidnapping cases, the suspect never takes the victim to a known place. It's usually somewhere vacant and abandoned." The first police officer stated.

His last name was 'Hagen.' The second officer, 'Vasquez,' looked at his partner, then at Vince.

"We would have to wait for a little while. Do you know if Shawn had a cell phone on him? If so we can run a trace on it and figure out where they are. But what we can do is set up some check points along the highway into and out of the city," Vasquez saw a point of disgust on Vince's face. "Don't worry, Mr. McMahon. We will find Shawn. No matter what, he will be returned... Now, I understand there's a wife and kids at home in San Antonio... Should we call or do you want to do it?"

Vince looked around. He almost forgot about them.

"Um... I'd better take care of it. But... Wait... No, you do it here in front of me and I'll jump on the phone, but only if Rebecca asks to speak with me."

Vasquez sighed.

"This is my least favorite part about kidnapping cases... Having to report the incident to parents and loved ones, if they don't already know... Um... Should I send a copy of the video down to the police station there so she can see it?" He asked Vince.

Vince's face turned red with anger.

"NO! What kind of a question is that? Of course not! Do not show her that video! Don't even mention it!" Vince yelled at Vasquez and Hagen.

"Er... Yes sir. There will be no mentioning of the video to Mrs. Michaels. I was just informed that check points have been set up along the highway... But... Payne already got a head start. He might not even be in the same state as us."

* * *

**A/N: I edited the grammar and spelling and then decided to change the title to 'Things Fall Apart.' It's the title of a novel I was forced to read for my college English class. **_**Things Fall Apart**_** was written by Chinua Achebe. I also fixed the situation I noticed when I got to Chapter 26, which was Shane's youngest sons name. In this chapter (the original) I had his name as 'Kennedy' when it's actually 'Kenyon,' so I decided to just refer to the child as 'Kenney.'**


	4. Darkness Will Surround You

Dark Reflections

Chapter 4

Darkness Will Surround You

Shawn woke up on Friday; exactly 4 days after Payne took him from the arena. He was in a dark room and he had no idea where the hell he was. He looked at his watch for the time. It was 10:18 PM. Shawn was in a lot of pain, but he couldn't let that stop him from trying to get out from wherever he was. He tried to sit up, but was overwhelmed with dizziness and fell right back down.

"Aw, God!" Shawn shouted in pain, not even realizing he had opened his mouth.

Sure enough, Jamie ran into the room to see what had happened. He put his hand over Shawn's eyes and turned the light on. As soon as he could tell Shawn's eyes had adjusted to the light, he moved his hand and looked down at Shawn in a somewhat scheming way.

"Are you alright? You've been unconscious for 4 days." Jamie stated, trying to act innocent.

Shawn realized he couldn't open his right eye because it had been swollen shut. He looked at Jamie and saw right through the "innocent" act he was putting on.

"What the..? Aren't you that guy from the arena?" Shawn asked groggily.

He was obviously lucky to be alive at the current moment.

Jamie shifted uncomfortably and nodded his head.

"You see, Shawn... I did that for a reason... Not because I am a diehard Vince McMahon fan, but because I want to prove something to you. Your supposed best friend... Triple H... He is not your friend. He never was your friend and he never will be. He only agreed to re-establish D-X because of the increased pay in his salary... He doesn't love you, Shawn..." Jamie stated.

Shawn saw right through this act as well. He knew it was an act to make him hate Paul. Shawn nodded his head no slowly. He wasn't falling for it.

"You're full of shit. I know Hunter very well. Hell, I've known him for 12 years. You're a little punk, you know that? You're such a man. You attack a man from behind and beat him senseless, then proceed to kidnap him and try to work a mind job on him. What the hell is this really about, huh? Tell me the goddamn truth!" Shawn yelled, clearly pissed off.

"You want the truth, Michaels? Ok. I'll give you the goddamn truth. I hate you and Triple H for what you've been doing to Mr. McMahon. That man is your boss, and you are supposed to worship the ground he walks on! Not mock him or deface his corporate headquarters! You know... I'm smarter than most people. I figured... Hey... If you want to prove yourself worthy in the eyes of your role model... What better way to do it then to eliminate the ones who piss him off the most? So I found my way around backstage and found your little meek ass in the locker room and decided to use you as bait. You are nothing but bait, Michaels. I'm hoping that Triple H finds his way here so I can kill the bastard for what he's done." Jamie yelled.

Shawn's head, which was currently pounding, angrily protested Jamie's voice.

"You want to kill Triple H? You son of a bitch! Have you realized that he is Mr. McMahon's son in law and he has a baby girl at home! Did you know that all of the stuff we put out for the fans is an act? We do it to relate to them! Most of the people around the world disagree with their boss, and we decided to take that emotion and put it into action. I disagree with most of the pranks we've pulled on Mr. McMahon and sometimes wish the faction was never re-created... But if it makes over 1 million people happy, fine. I'll go along with it." Shawn angrily yelled back.

Unfortunately for Shawn, Jamie took out a knife and put it in his face.

"You wanna speak out against me and curse at me, Michaels? Fine. So be it. From here on in, there is no more mister nice guy. Every time I get pissed off with you, or I see something D-X related, I will beat your ass just like I did on Monday. You caught me in a good mood today, Mr. Michaels. So you'll only get a cut. Show me your wrist." Jamie stated, making Shawn's left eye widen.

"Are you friggin serious?" Shawn asked.

Jamie glared at him evilly, a look that sent a chill down Shawn's spine. Jamie let out a hiss and tackled Shawn onto the floor, causing a loud scream of pain to come from the older man. Jamie grabbed Shawn's right arm and twisted it behind his back. He put the knife to it.

"Yes I'm fucking serious, you bastard! Learn to listen! Now you've really pissed me off!" Jamie shouted and struggled with the knife.

Did he really want to cut Shawn's wrist?

Jamie threw the knife and twisted Shawn's wrist, causing a loud crack and snap to come from it. Shawn screamed out in pain. Jamie flipped him back onto his back and starred Shawn in the eyes. He grabbed the knife again and put it to his forehead.

"Change your mind so quickly? Don't want to kill me now?" Shawn asked somewhat cockily.

"Puh... Don't be so cocky, Michaels. You're in no position to act cocky. I just figured you'd have too much of a headache to yell at me later if I cut your head rather than your wrist. Am I right," Jamie paused and waited for an answer.

Shawn just looked at him, causing his anger to reach boiling point.

"AM I RIGHT," Jamie shouted, making Shawn jump and immediately nod his head yes.

Jamie pinned Shawn's head down with his free hand and put the blade to the right side of Shawn's forehead.

"Keep still or I'll stab you in the face," Jamie stated through gritted teeth.

Shawn closed his only operating eye and winced. What did he get himself into?

_This can't be happening... This can't be happening... Jesus... What are you guys doing? Hurry up, Paul!_ He thought.

Jamie smirked. He proceeded to cut Shawn from ear to ear... Literally. Shawn was so used to blading himself during matches that he didn't even scream or cry.

"There. That ought to make you keep your damn mouth shut." Jamie stated.

He got up and left the room, locking the door behind him.

Shawn backed himself up against the wall and leaned up against it. Everything was aching. Now, thanks to his big mouth and Jamie, his head was hurting even more than it already was, and he was already getting dizzy with the blood loss. Shawn looked at his wrist, slightly tipping his head, causing blood to drip off of his face. He saw he was still wearing his wrestling attire, those pleather pants and his boots. The red was dripping onto the 'X' design on his leg. He nodded his head in disbelief. This was far worse than the incident in Syracuse outside of the night club. He could tell by the abnormal position of his wrist bone that it was broken.

"Aw shit," Shawn stated, the same way he did back when D-X had a presidential election segment in 1997.

"This... Is... Ridiculous... I can't believe this... I told them not to bring back D-X... I told them not to do it..." Shawn stated.

Figuring talking to himself was useless; Shawn leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He thought about Monday night. Something told him he should've went with Paul, and now he knew he should've acted on instinct. He wondered how Paul reacted to the kidnapping and realized it wasn't going to be pretty. Shawn thought of his best friend as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: The chapter's title comes from a song by The White Tie Affair called 'Candle (Sick & Tired).' It's a great song. Go listen to it! Lol**


	5. Think I'm Gonna Lose It

Dark Reflections

Chapter 5

Think I'm Gonna Lose It

Paul sat down backstage one week after Shawn was kidnapped and stared at the wall. He was really starting to believe that this was done on purpose and somebody was really looking to hurt the WWE. Paul looked at the only hope the cops had for finding his best friend; which was his cell phone. He had dozens of missed calls from family members and friends wondering where the hell he was. Now that he had been staring at it for so long, Paul decided that he liked Shawn's cell phone. He turned to look at the police officer that was sitting behind him, doing the 24/7 surveillance.

"You think we can get him back?" Paul asked the cop.

The young Officer Vasquez nodded his head slightly.

"I think there would have been a ransom call by now."

Paul turned back around and looked down at Shawn's cell phone.

"Or... Maybe it's just like that Elizabeth Smart case... Remember that girl that was kidnapped and trained to say that she wasn't who everyone thought she was? Maybe this guy is working a mind job on Shawn and wants him to believe he isn't Shawn Michaels and he doesn't belong here in the WWE in D-X with me..." Paul was so hopeful that he was right.

He started to talk at a quick speed and his words weren't making much sense. Vasquez knew he was desperate and hopeful to get Shawn back, and he didn't want to spoil his faith. Vasquez knew that there were other things on Paul's mind. He wanted to keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't help himself.

"Or... Payne killed him."

The words struck Paul in the face. They wiped Paul's mind and heart of all the faith he had in getting Shawn back and he suddenly felt as if his heart broke into pieces. Damn... He really cared about Shawn that much?

"Fuck you!" Paul screamed at him and took off.

Vasquez remained at his seat and watched Paul go. He knew where he was heading, and he also knew it was relatively safe there.

"Great... McMahon is gonna kill me..." Vasquez mumbled after thinking about how easily Austin Payne got into the building the previous week.

10 Minutes Later

Paul crashed through Vince's locker room door and threw himself on the couch, unaware that Vince was in there watching him. Paul threw himself on the thick leather couch and began to cry and curse out Austin Payne. Vince wanted to calm him down, but figured it would be best to allow Paul to get it out of his system. He was really taking the situation too hard. Vince understood how Paul was thinking, all the 'what if's' and such.

"You can't beat yourself up, Paul." Vince told him and put his hand on Paul's shoulder in attempt to calm him down.

Paul kept crying, and even though he knew Vince was talking to him, he heard Shawn's voice. _'Come on, Hunter... Ya can't let this keep ya down. Get up and keep going. You can do anything ya want! Ya wanna know why? Cause I'm the 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels and I said so, that's why!'_ Paul heard an old conversation between himself and his best friend in his mind. Paul looked up at Vince and gave him a cheap smile.

"I know."

Vince somewhat returned the crappy smile.

"Thank goodness you calmed down. I thought you were gone... Oh... Don't tell me that's Shawn's phone!" Vince yelled and pointed at Shawn's cell phone, which was still in Paul's hand.

Paul looked at it, then back at Vince.

"Um... Yeah, it is... I bet he dropped it when that jackass hit him with the pipe... That makes me so angry! If I didn't see Steve I would've walked in when that happened... And I could've defended Shawn against that freak! But because I stopped to chit-chat, Shawn got the shit beat out of him and was kidnapped..." Paul's anger was audible in his words.

Vince took the opportunity to sit down next to Paul and put his arm around his shoulders, like any concerned father would usually do to reassure their children.

"Listen, Paul... I don't want you to think about that too much. Instead of thinking about what could have happened, think about what will happen in the future. We get Shawn back... And that creep Austin Payne goes to jail." Vince tried to assure his son in law of things to come, but to no avail.

Paul was still depressed about the matter at hand.

"But... What about all the shit Payne did to him and probably is still doing to him? God only knows what this guy is doing to Shawn... I... I really wanna find him, Vince. But each day goes by and we still don't have any news...It's been a week so far. I know this is going to go on further. I'm getting scared, Vin Man. I'm really starting to think Shawn isn't going to come home."

There was nothing Vince was able to do but sit and stare at his son in law, whose mind was fragile thanks to Austin Payne and his kidnapping of the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. Vince seriously thought Paul was going to snap and go crazy, but the boy was always known to keep his cool during tough situations. Vince sighed and looked around the room for a moment to try and think of what he could do to lighten the mood a little. He looked back at Paul and hugged him.

"I know, Paul... Believe me; I know how you feel... You keep thinking about all the possibilities... What if you stayed with him? What if you didn't stop to talk to Steve? What if he went with you? What if it was you instead of him? However, since those questions are about situations in the past... The only real question you can have judging the future is heartbreaking but true... Will you ever see your best friend again..? Paul, you have to believe you will. It will help Shawn, 'cause somehow he seems to know when you care about him the most."

* * *

Raw: On Air

Raw started with Vince McMahon standing backstage with Shane and Paul. Vince exhaled deeply and looked at Paul.

"Good evening. I am Triple H from D-Generation X. Standing next to me is Mr. McMahon and his son Shane. We have decided to join forces until this man," Paul held up a picture of Austin Payne, which was an enhanced picture of Payne from the footage shot in the D-X locker room during the kidnapping. "Returns Shawn Michaels, my best friend and tag team partner. You see... At first I thought it was going to be a one night deal... But I was wrong. This went far enough. It's been a week and still no news. This man's name is Austin Payne, and we have reason to believe he kidnapped Shawn Michaels to seek revenge on the faction known as D-Generation X for going against Mr. McMahon... But since this man decided to become an asshole, Triple H and the McMahons have joined forces to create the most dominant faction in WWE history... The Corporation of Degeneration," Paul paused and stepped closer to the camera. "Payne... You bastard... You better re-think your actions for the past week... Because I guarantee that when we find you, we will show you no mercy just like you did to Shawn last week in the D-X locker room... Shawn... I swear to God we're doing everything we can to find you... And since you left your cell phone with me, it's damn near impossible... I love you, man... We're coming to get you..." Paul stated.

He stepped aside, allowing Vince to step towards the camera.

"I know this may seem weird, but every word out of Triple H's mouth is true. We have joined forces... And we are looking for Shawn Michaels... The only thing left to say is... If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of either Austin Payne or Shawn Michaels, please contact your local precinct and let them know... Keep in mind, Mr. Payne... There is more than one way to prove yourself worthy to a role model... And there were much smarter ways of going about it as well. The kidnapping of Shawn Michaels was uncalled for, and there is a very worried family back in San Antonio waiting for news..." Vince stated.

Shane cleared his throat angrily.

"Not to mention... A very angry arena full of WWE road agents, superstars, trainers and fans."

* * *

At the commentating booth...

The camera turned to J.R and Jerry Lawler, the commentators for Raw. The situation at hand shocked them, and although they found out the previous week, they were still angered by it.

"I... I still can't believe it, folks. And it isn't a joke or a work, either. A man... Apparently his name is Austin Payne... Came into the arena last week with a fake police shield and passed himself off as a police officer to the security staff. He went backstage and brutally attacked Shawn Michaels... I mean... We have some footage of it that was shot with the security camera in the D-Generation X locker room... But, I must warn you... This IS NOT for the weak at heart. Parents, send the kids into another room. This IS NOT for them to see," J.R paused and watched as the video came up and began to play.

Sure enough, fans in attendance turned away from the Tron to avoid seeing it again.

"Apparently Payne wanted to arrest Michaels for some kind of disturbance, but took advantage of him as he turned around and beat him down with a lead pipe..." J.R stated.

Jerry nodded his head in disbelief.

"I am still in shock... I can't believe somebody is crazy enough to do that... Now Shawn is only God knows where with this creep suffering because of his deranged mind," Jerry paused and looked into the camera in a serious way, then grabbed a microphone and put it to his mouth. "Austin Payne, I hope you know what you've done. And I hope you know who you're messing with. You are messing with the entire World Wrestling Entertainment. You are messing with Triple H, 'the Game, and 'the' Cerebral Assassin!' You are messing with D-Generation X. You are messing with Mr. McMahon, the boss! Shane McMahon, the psychotic son! The Corporation of Degeneration! And most important, Mr. Austin Payne... You... You son of a bitch... You're messing with the fans of the World Wrestling Entertainment! Who, whether they like Shawn Michaels or not... Want to find you and beat you down with a lead pipe for what you've done," Jerry paused, listening to the huge reaction from the fans. "You hear that, Mr. Payne? 37,000 people are mentally getting ready to go against their religions and hunt your ass down! You are now the number 1 man wanted in America! Hell, not only America... You are wanted worldwide for what you have done to the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels! Next time you want to attack someone, look around for a camera, you jackass. You might not get caught that way. So... I have 2 words... Directly from the hearts of every wrestling fan watching... Fuck you!" Jerry finished off his ranting to wild applause.

* * *

Backstage

Paul nodded his head in agreement and cheered Jerry Lawler. The man was truly angered by what had happened to Shawn. For god's sake, who wasn't? Most people who didn't like Shawn agreed that he was very talented in the ring. Paul heard that Bret Hart even flew into the arena and was expected to arrive at any moment. Just as he was about to play a game on Shawn's cell phone, the voice he hadn't heard since the Hall of Fame Inductions ceremony entered the D-X locker room.

"Triple H?" It asked.

Paul looked up and saw Bret Hart standing before him. Damn, he was psychic. He stood up and put Shawn's cell phone in his pocket, then walked over to Bret and stuck out his hand for a hand shake.

"Ah, just call me Paul. Not many people call me Triple H backstage anymore... Shawn's the only one that calls me Hunter... So I just decided to tell everyone to... Call me Paul..." Paul stated.

Bret watched Paul and listened to him. The man nearly said everything in one breath. Bret shook his hand and nodded his head, pretending to have heard what Paul said.

Once the hand shake was over, Bret was positive there was a lot of confusion going on.

"Listen... I... Wanted to come down and learn what really happened to Shawn... Are you guys playing games or something? I mean..," Bret paused and saw Paul nodding his head no.

The man was serious.

"You guys aren't joking? That was real footage you showed last week?" He shouted in shock.

Paul nodded his head yes.

"Yeah. That was all real. We're not playing any games. We wouldn't go that far, Bret. Everyone's changed since '97. Shawn doesn't like doing that kind of stuff that pisses people off anymore. He would never agree to participate in that, and if he knew it was taped and aired on national television, he'd probably ask that guy to shoot him... He changed, Bret... Believe me..."

Bret nodded his head.

"Ok... Yeah, I believe it... Just looking at the guy... Anyway... Listen...I would like to help... But there's a lot of stuff going on in my life back in Canada. I need to be there for Blade. I promised Blade. So, I wanted to do this," Bret paused and took out... A... Check!

_Oh my God! Is that what I think it is?_ Paul's mind shouted.

"It's a check for $2,000. Make sure it's used the right way. Next time you're booked for Montreal, which is in about 3 months, I want to be able to run into Shawn and punch him in the face," Bret paused to see a smile appear on Paul's face, something he was hoping to do.

He smiled with him.

"Got it? Put it to a good cause. Cause I really want to do that." Bret stated and handed the check to Paul.

Paul took it and looked at it. He really couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, I got it... And thank you... I will put this to good cause, and I would really like to see you punch Shawn in the face... I really appreciate this, Bret," Paul paused.

The smile suddenly vanished from his face. He started to cry. Bret became concerned. He didn't think Paul was taking the kidnapping too seriously.

"I really wanna get him back... I'm scared for his life..."

"Awww, come on, Paul... You don't have to cry... Crying isn't going to get you anywhere... And it certainly isn't going to bring Shawn back... If anything, it's only going to make things worse for you... What would Shawn do if he saw you crying?" Bret asked, somewhat sarcastically.

He wanted to cheer Paul up, being he had caused him to lose his cool in the first place. Paul looked at him.

"He would offer me a shoulder to cry on and try to relate to me... This has happened before... Steph was pregnant and she hit her stomach on the table pretty hard... She started getting strong pains, so I rushed her to the hospital. Shawn heard somehow and sent a dozen roses to her. When I saw him, I started crying... He hugged me... And told me a story of when his wife was pregnant with Cameron, his son... He told me how he envied me for being sane and conscious enough to care for my wife and my first child, whereas he was always passing out and almost got divorced for his actions... He really made me think... And he made me realize he was right... I was luckier than he was, with the pregnancy of my first child... Stephanie could have lost the baby, which still would've been horrible... But Shawn could have lost his life if Rebecca left him..."

The last statement made Bret realize how Paul was right. Shawn had changed, and definitely for the better. Sure, he still hated the bastard for what he did in Montreal back in 1997... But now he realized that if it weren't for the sweet little Rebecca Curci, there would be no present day Shawn Michaels for him to curse out and hate. There would be no present day Shawn Michaels that people all around the world cheered for and looked up to.

"Maybe I'll smack him instead..." Bret stated, almost out of nowhere.

Paul chuckled and the statement.

"Oh yeah... When we get him back, I'm going to smack him, too... He needs a nice smack across the face to knock some sense into him..."

"You really think this guy is a big threat to Shawn's life?" Bret asked Paul.

Wiping tears from his face, Paul sighed and nodded his head yes.

"Yeah... Judging by the footage that the security camera in the D-X locker room caught last week... There's no telling what this guy is capable of... And don't you think if it was a normal kidnapping there would've been a ransom call by now? Well, there hasn't been, and we think there's a bigger reason why this guy Payne kidnapped Shawn. Shane and some of the cops working the case think it's because Payne is infatuated with Vince and that he idolizes him and wants to prove a point to him. They said if Shawn wasn't in that locker room, the guy probably would've grabbed me. The odd thing is... This guy has no history of criminal actions. And, Bret... That means he could be capable of anything..." Paul stated.

* * *

**A/N: Although I liked the original title for the chapter ('Scared'), I decided to change it to 'Think I'm Gonna Lose It,' which pretty much gives off the same idea. It's from the song 'Friday Night' by McFly.**


	6. Truth Hits Everybody

Dark Reflections

Chapter 6

Truth Hits Everybody

Several hours went by until the door opened once again. However, it wasn't Jamie. It was his fiancée Robin. She had been wondering what, or who, her husband was hiding in that room, and was shocked to learn it was Shawn. She ran to him and knelt down next to his lifeless beaten body, which was still leaning against the wall.

"Oh goodness gracious! Are you ok? Wait a minute," She paused and looked Shawn over as he opened his eyes slowly to look at her.

He looked oddly familiar to her, and she realized who he was after looking at his pants.

"You! You're that guy everyone is looking for! You're that Shawn guy!"

She immediately grabbed a towel and wiped his face dry of blood. Shawn didn't know whether or not he could trust her. She looked at him with such concerned eyes. He couldn't help himself.

"Yeah... I'm Shawn Michaels." He replied, his voice much raspier than usual.

Robin sighed in relief. At least he was conscious and talking.

"Well, I'm Robin Ford, and I'm going to help you," She paused and looked at the cut on his forehead, which stretched literally from ear to ear. "Oh my God! Who did this to you?"

Shawn looked up at her with his gorgeous blue eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"He... Told me his name was Jamie... And he doesn't like me being a part of D-X because of the pranks we pull on Vince McMahon." Shawn told Robin.

She sighed and looked away from him. Could he possibly be referring to her husband?

"Can you describe him for me, please?" Robin asked him while trying to keep calm.

"Well... I can tell he's tall and pretty built. I would say about 6'5," 250 pounds. Dark hair, bright eyes... I'm not much of a help nor do I remember what he looks like very well before he pounded my head in with a freaking pipe... Besides, I can barely see out of my right eye." Shawn told her.

She shook her head in agreement. She noticed how beat up he was and wondered how he was still alive.

"Ok, thank you. That man that you described... Is my fiancé. I can't believe he did this to you... He's not a very violent person, you know..." Robin replied.

"Well, Robin... Apparently whatever you know about him is a lie, and you better keep your mind open. You're probably going to hear a lot of dark secrets surface... More dark reflections..."

* * *

**A/N: Woo another short chapter... It seems that all the chapters I've had so far with Shawn are short and the others are long. LOL sorry about that. I'm not exactly an expert on violence, but prepare for a lot of violent chapters ahead. So, read and review  
Edit: So I decided to rename the chapter 'Truth Hits Everybody.' It's a song by The Police.**


	7. Believe Me and Don't Think Twice

Dark Reflections

Chapter 7

Believe Me and Don't Think Twice

Now Paul was really angry. Two weeks had gone by since the Corporation of Degeneration made their plea on national television for news or information about Shawn and/or Austin Payne. Nothing. Not even a godforsaken phone call. The police were using the money Bret had donated wisely. They were hiring special officers to wait to perform phone taps and surveillances. Nobody had a lead in the investigation, and Paul was starting to get pissed off.

Paul thought all hope was lost when once again his cell phone rang. Vince had been calling him nonstop the whole day, encouraging him to not give up hope. Paul looked at the number and raised an eyebrow. Bret... Hart? How did he get Paul's number? But then again... How did he know Bret's? Paul flipped open his cell phone and choose to accept the incoming call.

"Hello?" Paul asked.

"Hey Paul. It's Bret Hart. Um... I just wanted to tell you something... It might help you guys find Shawn." Bret stated.

Paul got serious and sat down on the couch.

"Holy shit... Are you serious? You have information?" Paul asked.

He heard Bret chuckle.

"Yeah, I have some information on the guy you think kidnapped him... Austin Payne... Blade is friends with a kid named James Payne. His dad's name is Austin Payne. He is a diehard Vince McMahon fan. He just divorced his wife and moved to the states... I think Blade said Ohio... He remarried or something like that..." Bret replied.

"Are you making this up or did you just find out about this?" Paul asked him.

Bret chuckled again.

"Paul, I know you have no real reason to believe me. But... I'm asking you to believe me just this once. I spoke to Blade about the situation... He said he had a friend named James Payne and that he would look into it. He did. So, you can thank Blade... And alert the cops leading the investigation about the information you have just received." Bret told Paul.

Paul sighed.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, Bret. I believe you, even though I feel I shouldn't. Something inside of me says I should listen to you." Paul told Bret, who smiled.

"I know, Paul... I just had to help somehow. Well... That's it then. See you in Montreal... With Shawn at your side. I still need to smack him. Bye!" Bret shouted and hung up.

Paul shut his flip phone and threw it on the couch next to him.

It was going to be a very long night. Paul looked over at the young Officer Vasquez, who was hired by the WWE to stay with Paul 24/7 no matter where they traveled.

"Hey... Vasquez... I got information about a guy named Austin Payne." Paul stated out of nowhere.

Vasquez turned to look at him while he spoke, but then jumped up and ran over to him once he finished.

"Oh my God! Really? Spill it, Levesque!"

"Well... Ya see... This guy names Bret Hart... He thought the name 'Payne' sounded familiar... He spoke to his son Blade about the situation. Turns out Blade has a friend named James Payne...? And his dad is the guy we're expecting, Austin Payne. He is... A die-hard fan of Vinnie Mac." Paul explained, watching as Vasquez wrote down the information.

"Now... You said Bret Hart told you this. Doesn't he have a grudge with Shawn? Something about a match 9 years ago?" Vasquez asked.

Paul narrowed his eyes at Vasquez.

"Yeah... Bret has a bit of a grudge with Shawn from a match 9 years ago... But that doesn't mean he can't help. He spoke with his son, Blade. They decided to help. Bret was the one who gave me the $2,000 check to help with the search... Besides, it's the right thing to do... Bret is probably doing this for Shawn's family... Now that Bret has spent more time with his kids, he understands how important a family is... Bret also said that Payne moved to Ohio..." Paul stated.

Vasquez nodded his head in agreement.

"I agree with you, 100 percent. I'll call the precinct and let them know to start narrowing down on names... And start random phone taps in Ohio."

* * *

**A/N: You get the idea by now… And I still have no idea why I'm changing the titles… I guess I wanna add spice to the story, LOL. 'Believe Me and Don't Think Twice' is a line from the song 'I'll Run' by The Cab.**


	8. The Life We Had Won't Be Ours Again

Dark Reflections

Chapter 8

The Life We Had Won't Be Ours Again

Jamie had been watching the news and was enjoying his day. He hadn't heard a single peep from Shawn in 2 days. Just when Jamie was about to doze off, the report came on...

"And the search continues to locate a missing professional wrestler. Police nationwide are looking for a WWE wrestler named Shawn Michaels, who's real name is Shawn Hickenbottom. The 41 year old wrestler was last seen in Des Moines, Iowa during a live event nearly 3 weeks ago. The suspect, 33 year old Austin Payne, was recorded on a security camera beating Michaels with a lead pipe before dragging him from the arena. Any information is useful at this time, and it would be greatly appreciated,"

Jamie smirked evilly and watched as they put a picture of Shawn and Triple H on the screen.

"Michaels, on the right, is pictured here with his best friend and co-worker Triple H. Michaels was last seen wearing this outfit, which is a black T-shirt with 'DX' across the front in green. He is also wearing pleather black pants with 'X' on each leg in bright green. You can give any information you might have by calling your local precinct."

Jamie smirked. He not only heard 'Shawn Michaels,' he heard 'D-X' and he heard 'Triple H.' Not to mention, he saw pictures of them as well. He stood up and grabbed a 4 x 4 he was planning to use to repair a wall. He walked down the hallway and opened the door. Shawn was sitting up with his head resting against the wall.

"Ya know, Shawn... I was in a great mood until a minute ago." He harshly stated, making Shawn lift up his head to look at him.

"Oh? And should I bother asking what kind of mood you're in now? Or are you just going to hit me with the 4 x 4, break a few bones, give me a concussion and call it a day?"

"You shut the fuck up, Michaels! I'm getting sick of your goddamn attitude! You haven't changed one godforsaken bit!" Jamie yelled and approached Shawn.

_Oh great... Now I've done it..._ Shawn thought.

"Yeah? And how the hell would you know? There is one thing you should know about me... You can't hurt my pride!"

James grabbed onto the 4 x 4 with both hands and swung it wildly in the air.

"You won't have any pride by the time I'm done with you, you no good son of a bitch!"

Shawn saw the 4 x 4 coming and put his already broken right arm up protectively. The 4 x 4 hit his arm so hard that it broke.

"Aw shit!" Shawn screamed in pain and held his arm against his abdomen.

Jamie snickered. Now Shawn's arm was really mangled.

"Told you not to piss me off, Mr. Hickenbottom. Now, I want you to watch this very closely…" Jamie picked up the 4 x 4 above his head.

He prepped himself to hit Shawn with it. However, Robin walked into the room.

"Jamie!" She shouted and put her hands over her mouth when she saw the 4 x 4 in the air and the fury in her fiancés eyes as he looked down at Shawn.

"Huh? Robin! Get the hell out of here!" Jamie shouted at her.

Shawn made the mistake of taking his eyes off of Jamie. He looked at Robin.

_Get out_... He mouthed to her.

Robins scream filled the room as her fiancé slammed the already broken 4 x 4 onto Shawn's head. Jamie watched as Shawn's body went limp and slumped to the floor. Shawn's eyes remained open; the bright blue innocent eyes stared into space. Jamie smirked and threw the broken 4 x 4 down. He turned to look at Robin.

"I told you to get out, bitch! So... Get the fuck out! You have no business with him!" He yelled at her.

Robin was crying and shaking.

"What did he ever do to you, you sick bastard? He is only portraying a character on TV, you know!" She screamed back.

Jamie approached her and grabbed her by the wrist. He guided her out f the room and slammed the door behind him, then slightly twisted Robin's wrist, making her drop to her knees.

"Don't you dare talk back to me, you ungrateful whore! And don't you dare think about going to talk to Mr. Michaels ever again! You do so, and you're dead, bitch! Dead!" He shouted and stomped away.

Robin held her wrist and cried.

"Oh my God... I can't believe Shawn was right... That bastard is going to pay for what he's done..."

* * *

**A/N: You've guessed it. Another title change. 'The Life We Had Won't Be Ours Again' is from the song 'Never Too Late' by Three Days Grace.**


	9. Once and For All

Dark Reflections

Chapter 9

Once And For All

Robin waited until Jamie had to leave the house for work to go and see Shawn. She pretended she was asleep until he had left, then jumped up to find the key to Shawn's room. Luckily her husband was stupid and trusted her to do as he said, for she found it where he always hid his precious items. She ran in to see that Shawn was in the same position he was in the previous day, which was the last time she saw him.

She bent down next to him and observed him. His right arm was a mess. It was sort of mangled and the bones were oddly shaped. It was also bleeding.

_Must be broken..._ She thought to herself.

She moved her sights to Shawn's head. There was a large lump on the top of his head from the 4 x 4 shot, and it was also bruised and slightly bleeding.

"Enough is enough... Shawn? Shawny can you hear me? Shawn," She paused to shake him slightly.

Nothing. Just a few soft moans in pain.

"I've had enough... And I know you had enough as well. I'm going to call the cops before this gets any worse than it already is... I don't care how much trouble Jamie gets in... I've put it off long enough because... Because I... Didn't believe you were telling the truth. Now I know you were right... I'm sorry it took me so long to come around... This ends now." Robin brushed the hair out of Shawn's face and ran her hand across his cheek.

She leaned over and kissed his severely bruised forehead, then got up and walked out of the room.

"Hello, this is 9-1-1, please state your emergency." The operator asked.

"Yes, I'd like to give you some information about the missing wrestler... Um... Shawn Michaels?" Robin asked, still not quite sure if that was his name or not.

"Oh! Yes, ma'am! Sir, we have a call about some information on the missing wrestler! Sorry, ma'am, continue..." The operator stated.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to give this information anonymously... Well... My fiancé is this 'Austin Payne' character... Although he told me his name is Jamie Jones. We live in Fremont, Ohio. He has Shawn in one of the rooms in our house and is beating him continuously with whatever object he can get his hands on. He actually beat him down with a 4 x 4," Robin paused and listened closely to the noises outside.

_Oh shit... Jamie!_ She thought.

"Oh my God! I have to go! Trace the call to find out where we live! I'm sorry I can't be more help, but my fiancé just pulled up... You can contact me on Snoopy1029...at AOL dot com! I hope I've helped!" Robin shouted.

"Oh, yes ma'am! You've helped a lot! We will contact you on your screen name and pass it along to the owner of the WWE so he can contact you as well. Listen... We need you to hook up a camera in the room. Send the tape of whatever footage you catch to us and we will alert Mr. McMahon." The operator replied.

"Yes sir. I'll get on it right away! I REALLY have to go right now!" She screamed, panicked.

"Ok, ma'am. Thank you!" The operator shouted back.

Both the operator and Robin hung up. Robin ran through the entire house in a matter of 20 seconds and jumped back in bed, acting like she was still asleep.

Luckily for her, Jamie didn't come into the house for another 20 minutes or so, leaving her time to fall asleep for real.

* * *

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Reviews keep me inspired! Oh... By the way... The screen name I used for Robin's is actually my private screen name... So, feel free to e-mail me if you want, if not, just contact me on my listed screen name... And I decided to fix the damn thing! LOL... Finally...**

**Watch for: Paul, Vince and Shane get a much needed, and appreciated, update from Robin in person!**

**Edit: The title of this chapter is actually the name of a song 'Once And For All,' which is from the Newsies Soundtrack. Great flick by Disney!**


	10. Deal Made

Dark Reflections

Chapter 10

Deal Made

Vince, Shane and Paul went to their locker room before the show. Paul was a bit more at ease then he was the previous week over the situation with Shawn and Austin Payne. Officer Vasquez charged into the room, scaring the crap out of the McMahon/Levesque men.

"You're late, Vasquez!" Vince barked.

Vasquez looked at him and smiled.

"I know, Mr. McMahon. I was actually over by the parking lot. There's a woman outside that said she has information about Shawn," Vasquez saw he now had all 3 men's' attention. "She said she alerted her local precinct and would like to talk with you in person. And she even has a message from Shawn for Mr. Levesque."

"Oh? Really? Well, send her in with an armed escort." Vince stated and turned to look at Shane and Paul.

Paul looked a bit hopeful about the situation.

"You bet I will, sir. We checked her for weapons, and she's clean. I'll be right back with her." Officer Vasquez stated and left the room as quickly as he came in.

"You think she's serious about talking to Shawn and all? You think she was really with him and knows the bastard who took him? Think she's gonna help us bring his ass down!" Paul asked.

Vince and Shane exchanged concerned looks, and then looked at Paul.

"It could be possible, Paul... But... Do us and yourself a favor... Don't get your hopes up..." Shane told him, just as Vasquez and Robin entered the room.

"Mr. McMahon, this is Robin Ford, fiancée of our suspect, Austin Payne... I'll leave you alone so you can talk." Officer Vasquez stated, tipped his hat at Robin and left the room, closing the door tightly behind him.

Robin turned to look at the McMahons and Paul.

"Hello... Um... I guess I have a lot of explaining to do..."

Vince nodded his head.

"Yes... But first... I am Vince McMahon, owner of the World Wrestling Entertainment. This is my son, Shane... Vice President of Global Media... And... This is my son in law, Paul "Triple H" Levesque... He is Shawn's best friend, tag team partner and fellow D-X member... Now... Um... How did you..?" Vince asked, but Robin knew what he was going to say.

She raised her hand to hush him.

"Mr. McMahon... I met this 'Austin Payne' character last year. He introduced himself to me as Jamie Jones. And... I noticed around February he started to keep things to himself more. He would always be on the computer or studying tapes of Raw... Until... Of course... That one Monday night about a month ago... He seemed to be obsessed with only one thing: destroying D-X. And... Also... Safe ways to abuse people without automatically killing them... You know…" Robin paused to look at Paul.

"Torture..." He flatly stated.

Robin nodded her head.

"Right. I found Shawn in there a few days after Raw. He had a cut on his forehead... Literally stretching from ear to ear. His right eye was partially swollen shut... I should say his situation hasn't improved one bit. The abuse keeps getting worse... I mean... Shawn's whole right arm is broken... Collarbone-down. He asked me to give this to you, Paul..," Robin paused and handed Paul a somewhat blood stained envelope with his name on it.

He stared at it, then nodded his head in appreciation.

"I don't really know what else to say... I mean... I have a camera set up in the room and it's on 24/7. When I get a tape, you'll be the first to see it."

"So... Um... Can you confirm this man," Shane pulled out a picture of Austin Payne.

"Is your fiancé, Jamie Jones?" He asked.

Robin glanced at the picture briefly, then nodded her head yes.

"Um... You said... That... He tortures Shawn... What do you... Uh... Mean by that?" Vince asked her.

"Whatever weapon Jamie gets his hands on is what he uses. The other day he bashed Shawn in the head with a 4 x 4... Ah..," Robin covered her mouth with the 'shouldn't have said that' face.

The 3 men stared at her in shock.

"Uh... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to frighten you..."

"The truth is just frightening itself, Robin. It's not your fault... You're only telling us the truth. We don't blame you for it." Shane stated, putting his arm around Robin's shoulders as he spoke to her.

Robin looked at Shane and nodded her head.

"Yes... But I wish it didn't have to be me... I'm very sorry for having to be the bearer of bad news... Shawn... He said... Not to worry about him so much... His heart beats from your love for him... He said he'll be back soon and he loves you with all his heart..."

"Where do you guys live?" Vince asked.

Robin looked at him, tears visible in his eyes and dripping down his face.

"Fremont, Ohio... Um... Big white and blue house surrounded by farmland... So you can't miss it... Listen... I have to go now... I have to get back to Shawn... I have to make sure he's ... Ya know... Ok... I'll see you again next week... You'll be in Cleveland. I'll have footage for you by then. Good night." Robin stated.

She shook everyone's hand, and then turned to leave. Once Robin left the room, Vince turned to look at Paul.

"Paul! Did you hear a single word Robin said?" Vince yelled.

Paul tore his eyes away from the envelope to look at Vince. He picked up the envelope to show it to his father and brother in law.

"It... It reeks of blood..." Was all the 37 year old wrestler was about to say.

He let silent tears fall from his eyes. Shane put his arm around Paul.

"Relax, bro... You heard Robin... He was conscious enough to write you that letter... Why don't you read it?" Shane asked him.

"It might make you feel better." Vince pushed a little further.

Paul nodded his head no.

"No. I'm going to wait until we find him... And then I'll read it..." Paul stated.

Vince and Shane once again exchanged concerned looks before looking back at Paul.

"But... Paul... Technically we did find him... We're just waiting until we're in Ohio... Paul... We know he's alive! Isn't that good enough? You've been losing hope since the beginning... You thought he was dead. And don't think I don't know what you've been planning," Vince paused and glared at Paul.

Paul lowered his head in embarrassment.

"If you don't read that letter... I will." Vince finished yelling at Paul and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So... If I read it... It'll remain private?" Paul asked.

Vince nodded his head yes.

"If I were you, I would read it." Shane whispered to Paul and winked at him as well.

Paul looked at Vince, then back down at the letter.

"I'm waiting..." Vince barked and began to tap his foot impatiently.

"I'll read it, dammit! I'll read it..." Paul stated and walked to the other side of the room.

He grabbed a leather chair and dragged it with him, then sat in it. Shane and Vince watched as he ripped open the envelope, then looked at each other and left.

_Dear Paul,_

_You know how lousy I am with starting off letters..._

_If you got this then you know Robin Ford is Jamie's fiancée. You probably know him as Austin Payne or something like that... Anyway..._

_Check up on Becky, Cam and Cheyenne for me. And don't let them know too much...Especially the kids. Becky can handle some of it, but not all. Just tell her that I'm ok and I'll be home soon._

_If I know you as good as I think I do... You better not be planning anything to harm yourself. I love you, Paul, and you know that. I've done stupid things in the past... And I don't know what I would've done if I was in your situation... Waiting to hear news on my kidnapped best friend...I think I'd go crazy... I don't want to sound off-color, but promise to keep loving me. Your love for me keeps me alive, Paul... It keeps me going._

_How are things looking on the outside? I'm sure it's not that great... But things are bound to get better... I can feel it. I'm sure Bret Hart is enjoying this,_ (Paul smiled at the statement). _He's probably been doing the 'Cha-Cha' 24/7 since he found out... Oh! Speaking of which, I remember hearing there was a security camera in the D-X locker room... If it was on... Don't let the footage leak out! Please, Paul... I'm begging you here... Don't let it out, _(Paul winced at reading the statement and once again let silent tears fall from his eyes).

_Anyways... Hope all is well on that end... Be strong, Paul... I know you can find the strength within you. I know it's there. You have to remember that you're not the only one going through this. There are other people going through this as well, and, sometimes the situations are much worse._

_If anything... Happens... Be there for Becky and the kids. I trust you with them._

_I love you guys... And... I miss you... Tell that to Vinnie Mac and Shane-O, too... But... Remember this... I'm with you in spirit and in your heart. I always will be._

_Forever your friend,_

_Shawn Michaels_

Paul lowered the note and stared at the wall. That was so like Shawn... He would be hurt but worrying about everything and everyone else. Typical Shawn... Paul heard the door open and close. He turned to see who it was, but before he knew it, he was caught in a hug.

"Hey son... I just heard... I'm glad to hear Shawn's alive, but I'm sorry to hear about all the shit he's going through..." Came the thick Texas accent.

It could only belong to one person... The very same person Paul stopped to talk to in the hallway the night Shawn was kidnapped.

"Steve..." Paul sighed and wrapped his arms around him.

The man who didn't trust anybody was on his knees hugging Paul Levesque.

* * *

**A/N: Hehe... Enjoy? Figured we needed some emotional moments in here... Help settle the mood from violent to calm, but sad. LOLZ... So... Review****!**

**Edit: 'Deal Made' is from the song 'Curb' by Nickelback.**


	11. Where's Your Heart?

Dark Reflections

Chapter 11

Where's Your Heart?

Today was the day Paul was waiting for. They were finally in Cleveland, Ohio. And Robin had called in and said she had a tape... Which was proof of what was going on. Hopefully it was enough proof to lock Austin Payne in jail for good.

Paul was gracing the main Raw locker room with a smile on his face, something the Superstars and backstage workers hadn't seen in weeks. He nodded 'hello' to John Cena, who stopped short.

"Uh...Hey..." John stated, somewhat unsure if Paul was directing the 'hello' towards him or not.

Officer Vasquez popped out of nowhere.

"Mr. Levesque, Robin Ford is here to see you!" He happily stated.

Paul spun around and ran out of the locker room with an even bigger smile on his face.

"Uh... What the hell was that about?" Randy Orton asked as he stepped up to stand next to John.

John shrugged his shoulders as Edge joined them.

"I have no idea... Hopefully it's something about Shawn... I'm really starting to get worried..." He stated.

Officer Vasquez brought Paul straight to Robin.

"I'll leave you two alone." He stated and closed the door, then remained there to guard it.

"Paul... Paul... I'm so sorry…" Robin paused and sobbed.

The smile vanished from Paul's face. He immediately assumed the worst.

"What? What happened, Robin? He didn't kill Shawn, did he?" Paul shouted, the panic audible in his voice.

"No! No... Shawn... Is ok... I mean... I had a tape... The jackass in charge of security took it from me... And gave it to a guy named Jack from the Production Truck!"

Paul's eyes widened with fear.

"Oh no! Oh fuck! That's bad... Ok... We have to stop them from playing that tape... And we have to do it a-sap! We can't let too much leak to the public!" Paul yelled and grabbed Robin's arm.

He was about to leave the room, until she suddenly became dead weight.

"I think we're too late..." Paul turned to look at her.

Her eyes were fixed on the TV he had in the locker room. It was tuned in to Raw. Sure enough... They were playing a black and white video of a man that matched Austin Payne's description beating up...

"Shawn!" Paul yelled at the TV.

Robin sighed and sunk down to the couch.

_Jamie grabbed Shawn by the throat. _

_"Now listen up, Mr. Michaels... I will give you one more shot," He leaned in closer to look Shawn in the eyes. _

_"Say it, you bastard! Say it and I just might let you live." Shawn grabbed hold of Jamie's arm with his left hand. _

_"No... Chance in hell... You son of a bitch!" Shawn growled at him. _

_Jamie smiled evilly. _

_"Big mistake, Michaels."_

_Jamie stood up and grabbed Shawn by the throat again. He raised him up to be his own height and stared at him face to face. _

_"Ya see, Shawn... When you piss me off, you get hurt...I gave you the option to get out of it... But... Since you didn't take it..," Jamie pulled Shawn closer to him. "You're gonna get hurt."_

_Shawn reared back with his right leg and suddenly kicked Jamie in the crotch as hard as he could. Jamie dropped Shawn on the ground. Instead of moving, he laid there gagging. Jamie propped himself up on his knees and pulled a knife out of Shawn's chest. _

_"It helps to be prepared, Shawn."_

_Jamie got on top of Shawn and pressed down both his right arm and his lower abdomen. Shawn opened his eyes, only to be eye to eye with Jamie. He tried desperately to squiggle out of the hold, but to no avail. Jamie was much bigger then he was. _

_"Get off of me you homosexual bastard!" Shawn shouted through gritted teeth. _

_Jamie applied more pressure to Shawn's right arm, causing the man to scream out in pain. _

_"I think you mean bisexual bastard... But that's not the point..." Jamie stood up and grabbed a 4 x 4. _

_He swung down at Shawn and hit him in the abdomen. He kept hitting Shawn until the 4 x 4 was broken in six different pieces. Shawn once again laid in a heap of himself, bloody and unconscious._

Paul had tears strolling from his eyes. He looked back at Robin, who had her head in her hands.

"He's... Really... Bisexual?" Paul struggled to ask, now thinking of a whole bunch of other ways Payne could've abused Shawn.

Robin nodded her head no.

"No... Not to my knowledge... I've learned more about Jamie in the past 2 weeks then I did in a month... I certainly..." Robin was cut off by the door to the locker room bursting open.

Vince, Shane and Steve Austin ran in.

"Did you... Well... I'm guessing you saw that... How did that leak out to the Production Truck?" Vince growled and then looked at Robin.

"Mr. McMahon... I can explain. I came here with every intention of giving the video straight to you or Mr. Levesque... The stupid guy in charge of security took it from me and gave it to a guy named Jack from the Production Truck... I swear, Mr. McMahon... I'm sorry..."

Vince raised his hand to silence her. He went to speak, but instead another voice came out.

"This has gone on long enough, dammit! I will NOT stand for it anymore! I am going to Fremont, Ohio. And I don't give a damn about what any of you say! I am getting Shawn and bringing him home!" Paul yelled and went to leave.

Steve Austin stood in his way.

"I'm coming with you, son... You can defiantly use some help... And I got some bottled up anger I'd like to let out on that sonuvabitch." Paul smiled at Steve.

"Alright. Let's go." Paul stated.

He and Steve turned to exit the room, but this time Shane stood in their way.

"Not without me. I'm sick of everyone suffering because of that asshole... Especially my brother in law." Paul smiled at Shane.

Steve, Shane and Paul turned to exit the room without another word. Vince didn't say anything, either. Once the three men were walking in the hallway, Robin turned to look at Vince.

"Mr. McMahon! Don't let them go alone! You have to go with them!" Then she spun on her heels and left the arena, making her way back to Fremont.

* * *

Parking Lot

"Let's go in Paul's car." Shane stated.

Steve looked at him and nodded his head no.

"My hunting gear is in my truck!" He complained.

"Then you can follow us! Is that such a big problem," Paul shouted.

He watched as Steve and Shane nodded their heads no.

"Good, then. The more time we waste here, the more time Shawn is suffering at the hands of that asshole! We're gonna go to Fremont and get him away from Payne by any means necessary!"

"Not without me,"

Steve, Shane and Paul turned around to see Vince.

"Nobody takes one of my Superstars and gets away with it."

* * *

**N/A (Edit): The name of the chapter is a line in the song 'Famous Last Words' by My Chemical Romance.**


	12. Teach Me Wrong From Right

Dark Reflections

Chapter 12

Teach Me Wrong From Right

Once they arrived in Fremont, Ohio; Steve, Shane, Paul and Vince piled out of their cars. The house was exactly as Robin described it. Big, white, blue and surrounded by farm land.

Steve pointed to a pickup truck that was pulling up behind his own. Shane, Paul and Vince turned to look at it, and were surprised to see Robin step out.

"Sorry, guys. I couldn't let you go in there in a rush... Jamie could kill Shawn if he sees you guys rushing in like wild animals," Robin paused to look back at the house.

"I'm going to go in. If nothing happens in the next 10 minutes, then you guys can come in." She looked back at the men.

They all nodded their heads in agreement. Paul grabbed her hand.

"Thanks for all your help, Robin... And be careful." The two smiled at one another.

She shook his hand and then walked to the house.

"Hey! Everyone come over here and get a weapon." Steve shouted.

Vince, Paul and Shane walked over to his pickup truck and saw several guns and bow-and-arrows in it. Vince turned to look at Steve and raised an eyebrow.

"You actually travel around with this stuff?" He asked.

Steve laughed. "Of course I do, ya dumb sonuvabitch! I'm a hunter, I have licenses for it." Steve continued laughing.

"Then why did you decide to bring your stuff tonight? I never saw you carry your weapons around." Shane stated, having known Austin and been close with him for several years.

Steve stopped laughing and looked Shane dead in the eyes.

"Because I knew some shit was going down today, kid. I've been waiting for this day for nearly a month and a half." He continued and handed Shane a rifle.

Shane looked down at the rifle wide eyed.

_What the hell am I doing? I don't believe in this!_

Paul picked up a handgun and loaded it, then tucked it into his jeans.

"Who cares about what's right and wrong? All that matters is that we get Shawn out of there." Paul stated, looking at the 3 men in front of him.

"You're 110 percent right, Paul. But we have to be really careful. I mean... I really don't want to fire the weapon at this dick..," Vince paused as Austin handed him a weapon.

"But... Ya know... Just scare him..." Vince stated.

"We can always say we tripped and fired the gun at him on accident." Austin stated and smiled in a somewhat psychotic way.

All 3 men's eyes landed on Shane, who, was still staring at the rifle Steve had handed him.

"What do you think, Shane-O?" Paul asked.

Shane didn't even look up at him. He was staring at the rifle intensely. Vince cautiously put a hand on his sons shoulder. He didn't want to scare Shane. Luckily for him, Shane didn't even move when he did so.

"What's the matter, Shane?" Vince asked him.

Shane nodded his head no, still looking at the rifle.

"This is wrong... I shouldn't be doing this..."

"What the hell do you mean by that, Shane? This is not wrong! This is justice!" Steve shouted, placing both hands on Shane's shoulders and shaking him back and forth.

Shane dropped the rifle onto Steve's foot and backed away from it, nodding his head no.

"No. I'm not doing it. I was not raised to pull this shit off. I don't believe in this. This is not the man I want to be." Shane stated and kept nodding his head no.

Vince never truly realized how sensitive Shane would be over this matter. He thought Shane would've taken a weapon just for scare. He never realized the kid was afraid of holding one!

"Shane... Relax, kid... The rifle is just for show, you're not going to use it. It's not even loaded." Steve told him and tried to give the rifle back.

Shane put his arms behind his back.

"No."

Vince walked over to Shane and put his hand on Shane's shoulder. He noticed, however, Shane's eyes landed on the gun in Vince's hand. Vince tossed the gun onto the ground and hugged his son.

"You're right to think that way, Shane..," Vince paused to pull away from his son.

They looked each other in the eyes.

"And I won't change your mind. If you don't want to hold the rifle, you don't have to. I won't force you to do it..." Vince told his son.

Shane lowered his head, as if he was ashamed of himself, and then looked back up at his father with tears in his eyes. Vince's face turned into that of a concerned father as he looked at his son.

"I'm sorry I'm being a wimp, dad... I know that the rifle is just for show... But... I don't know... I'm afraid of becoming somebody else if I hold it, ya know? I mean... I want to get Shawn back just as much as the rest of you... But I think the cops should be involved in this. I don't feel comfortable knowing that we can march in there and possibly be killed off one by one," Shane paused to see he now had everyone's attention.

They didn't think of that before.

"I don't like the idea of losing more people that I love, and possibly witnessing it happening."

"You know what, Shane," Paul started, making Shane look at him.

"You're absolutely right. That could happen... Meaning we need to call the cops and tell them what's up." Paul continued.

Steve nodded his head.

"Alright. Vince, you call the cops. I'll take the ammo out of the guns, so we can tell the truth when we say that the guns were just for show," Austin paused and collected all the guns, then continued to empty the ammo out.

Vince took out his cell phone and called the cops. He told them everything that was going on and even told them that they were using unloaded guns to help get their friend away from his captor. Steve threw the ammo into a bag in his pickup truck. He looked back at Shane.

"Good thinking, kid. I didn't look at it that way before," Steve paused and held out the rifle for Shane to take.

"It's ok to hold the rifle, son. It's really just for show now. There are no shells in it, so it won't accidentally go off on anyone," Austin paused again and watched Shane exhale deeply.

He slowly reached out and took the weapon from Steve.

"That's a good boy. It's ok, kid." Austin stated and hugged Shane.

Once the two separated, Steve cleared his throat and faced everyone like he was the leader in an Army movie.

"Now what?" Vince asked.

Steve looked at his watch.

"10 minutes is almost up. We need to pick teams and divide the house up between the two teams. Paul," Steve turned to face Paul.

"You go with Shane. I'll go with Vince. Vince and I will take the front of the house and you two will sweep the back. We'll meet at the stair case to discuss our plan for upstairs." Steve was going to continue, but was cut off by Shane.

"If there isn't an ambush."

Steve turned to glare at the youngest of the group.

"Stop thinking so negatively, Shane. For all you know, we can get out of this without injury. Well," Steve paused to chuckle evilly.

"Not Austin Payne... Because I can guaran-damn-tee you that I will beat that sonuvabitch down for what he did to Shawn... And that's the bottom line... 'Cause Stone Cold said so!" Steve shouted like he was cutting a promo on live TV.

As soon as the 10 minutes was up, Steve, Paul, Shane and Vince all headed towards the house. Steve grabbed Vince and headed towards the front of the house, then paused and faced Paul and Shane.

"You two be careful, ya hear? Keep your ears open for anything and everything!" Steve shouted.

Shane nodded at him and headed towards the back of the house with Paul.

"What do you think we'll find in there?" Paul asked Shane.

After a short pause, Shane opened his mouth.

"A beaten and battered man who was robbed of his dignity and pride by an asshole who deserves to be killed."

Paul couldn't help but smile.

* * *

**A/N: And the raid begins! LOL. I decided to make Shane the more sensible one of the group... If you think about it, he really is. LOL... I noticed that I never had a Shawn or Paul POV... Hmmmm... Maybe I'll work on one of those...**

**My friend, William, also gave me a splendid idea for future chapters. But I won't say what it is until it's time to add them! **

**I have been waiting for so long to see everyone's reaction to the future chapters... Including Chapter 13! Which, will be up by Monday. (I'm typing this early Thursday morning, so I'm not even that sure when this chapter will be uploaded... LOL)**

**Ok, that's all for now... I guess... Read and review, please. I love hearing what everyone has to say.**

**Edit: The title 'Teach Me Wrong From Right' was taken from the song 'Savin Me' by Nickelback. Epic song and it's one of my favorites from the band.**


	13. Your Kingdom is Crumbling

Dark Reflections

Chapter 13

Your Kingdom is Crumbling

Paul & Shane

Paul looked over at Shane. The two were quietly walking around the back of the house while Steve and Vince were roaming around the front of the house.

"Hey... Shane-O," Paul paused and waited for Shane to look at him before continuing.

"Ya think they're done yet? I'd like to get upstairs... This is way too boring..." Paul whispered to Shane.

Shane sighed.

"Be patient, Paul... Jeze... We just got in here! I wanna get out of this mess just as much as you do, but that doesn't mean we can just rush into situations. Relax; we'll get upstairs soon enough."

Shane turned his back to Paul, further enraging the man. Paul exhaled deeply and paced back and forth for a little while. He _really_ wanted to get upstairs.

"I really wanna go upstairs." Paul complained again.

Shane turned to look at him with a look of anger on his face. He was sick of hearing Paul complain.

"Be patient, Paul." He told him.

"I don't want to, Shane." Paul's complaining continued.

"Fine then…" Shane told him.

"Fuck you!" Paul shouted.

"Up yours!" Shane shouted back.

Paul narrowed his eyes angrily, making Shane stick his tongue out at him. Paul chuckled. He heard an eerie, faint voice in his ear.

_Hit him._

He looked around with his eyes, discrete enough to avoid Shane noticing. Once Shane turned his back and started to walk away, Paul took the gun out of his jeans and walked over to Shane as quietly as he could. Shane, who was closer to the stair case, and not really paying attention to Paul, didn't even hear the man coming. Paul hit Shane in the head with the gun and caught him before he fell. Paul slowly lowered Shane to the ground and checked to see if he was in la-la land or not.

"Sorry, Shane-O... Can't have you ratting me out for going upstairs without everyone else... Hope I didn't hit you too hard... Take care, bro..," Paul stated and stood up.

He walked away from Shane and quietly went up the stairs so he wouldn't alert Vince and Steve.

Once upstairs, Paul realized he had to sneak around even more. If the floorboards creaked under his weight, Vince and Steve would be alerted and rush upstairs, most likely thinking he was Payne. Not to mention, they'd find out what he did to Shane sooner... Paul didn't want to face that right now. He wanted to wait until after he got Shawn out... And then face the music.

Paul walked into a large room. Once he entered the room and had his back turned to the door, the door slammed shut. Paul jumped and turned to face the door, or better yet, the man who had slammed the door shut. All Paul saw was the barrel of an automatic shotgun pointed right at him.

"Is that you, Payne?" He shouted.

Jamie moved the weapon away from his face so Paul could see him.

"Who are you talking about, Mr. Levesque? My name is not 'Payne.' My name is Jamie Jones..." Jamie told him.

Paul nodded his head no furiously.

"That's a fucking lie! Your name is Austin Payne! And you fucking kidnapped my best friend!" Paul shouted.

Jamie laughed like a psychotic scientist.

"Oh, Mr. Levesque... Where were YOU in Des Moines, Iowa? Shawn always had your back... Where were you to have his?" Jamie shouted.

Paul blinked away his own tears.

"So you are Austin Payne... Why the hell did you kidnap Shawn? What did you do to him?" He shouted back at him.

"Listen here, Mr. Levesque... My name is not Austin Payne. It's Jamie Jones. You broke into my home and searched around without permission... And now you're assuming I'm this 'Austin Payne' fellow... Who, by the way, is the one responsible for kidnapping your little friend, Mr. Hickenbottom," Jamie pointed the automatic shotgun at Paul's head. "Now, if you don't put your weapon on the ground and kick it over to me, you'll be lower than your friend."

Paul slowly took his gun out of his jeans again and placed it on the ground, then kicked it over to Jamie without hesitation.

"Was anything me and Shawn did to Vince McMahon worth killing him?" Paul asked.

Jamie scoffed.

"Who said Shawn was dead," Jamie saw the relief come over Paul's face, and realized he had to get fear into it again. "But then again, who said he wasn't? You see, mind games are the best games you can ever play on somebody. Once you get the fear into the persons head, you can't get it out... I enjoy seeing the fear in people's eyes." Jamie told Paul.

Paul cleared his throat.

"Ok... Remind me... What does this have to do with Shawn?"

Jamie smiled evilly.

"Everything."

* * *

Steve & Vince

Steve turned to look at Vince.

"Think Shane-O and Paul are done with the back of the house? I'm itching to go upstairs." Steve stated.

Vince looked back at him and smiled.

"I'm sure Paul feels the same way... And knowing Shane... They're definitely done. Let's head over to the stairs and wait for the two." Vince stated.

Steve and Vince walked, one behind the other, towards the stairs.

"I can't believe we're finally here... We're finally gonna get Shawn back." Steve stated.

Vince smiled.

"What I can't believe is that the two of us are working on the same page... Don't you think it's weird? Mr. McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin... On the same side." Vince replied.

Steve chuckled.

"We're not on TV, Vince. You don't have to cut a promo... I don't think I can name anyone else that I'd rather be here with getting Shawn back... Except for Brian Pillman, of course... Nobody else living, I should say. Just me, you, the kid and Paul." Steve turned to Vince and smiled.

"Thanks, Steve." Vince stated and returned the smile.

After waiting for several moments, Steve lost his patience.

"I guess you were wrong... Come on, let's go and get them." Steve stated and walked away.

Vince followed him and looked around the hallway. His eyes landed on a body.

"Steve, look," Vince pointed to the body.

Steve acknowledged it as well. The two walked over to it. They knelt down and saw it was Shane.

"Oh, fuck! Shane? Shane, can you hear me," Vince started to push Shane's shoulder. "Come on, answer me dammit!"

"Damn, take a look at that bruise," Austin paused and pointed to a huge bruise on the left side of Shane's forehead.

There was a small cut in the center of the already dark bruise, which was bleeding. Vince continued to shake his son to see if he would wake up or not.

"He was probably hit in the head with a gun... And by the looks of it... He was hit pretty damn hard." Steve stated.

Vince looked into Steve's eyes.

"Where's Paul?"

Steve got up from his position next to Shane and looked around. He walked back over to Vince.

"Ok... Are you gonna stay with Shane?" Steve asked.

Vince looked up at him and nodded his head.

"Why?" He asked.

"Well... Either two things happened... One, Payne came down here without us knowing, knocked Shane out and dragged Paul upstairs... Two, Paul got fed up with waiting and knocked Shane out," Steve paused for a moment. He felt an eerie presence with him. Much like Paul, he heard a faint voice…

_Paul's upstairs… He needs help… Please help him, Steve._

Steve nodded his head in understanding.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and look around." Steve told Vince.

Vince nodded his head.

"Ok. Good luck, Steve."

* * *

Upstairs

Jamie pointed the automatic shotgun at Paul's head.

"Say goodbye."

Paul gulped and closed his eyes... Waiting for the shot.

* * *

**A/N: WOOFA! The intensity in this room is so thick you could cut it with a knife... Read and review, please!  
Edit: The title 'Your Kingdom is Crumbling' is from the song 'Candle (Sick & Tired)' by The White Tie Affair.**


	14. Losing You Is Something I Could Handle

Dark Reflections

Chapter 14

Losing You Was Something I Could Handle

Jamie was about to pull the trigger and kill Paul, until Paul saw something weird and threw himself to the floor. The door suddenly bursted open and slammed into Jamie, causing him to pull the trigger in shock. Paul looked up from his spot on the floor and saw Steve had knocked Jamie onto the floor and wrestled the gun away from him. Steve stood up and pointed the gun at Jamie. He looked over at Paul.

"You ok?" He asked.

Paul nodded his head yes and stood up, then brushed himself off. He walked over to where he had kicked the handgun and picked it up. He backed away from Jamie and pointed the gun at him.

"You sweep the upstairs level?" Paul asked.

Steve looked at Paul and waited until Paul looked back. Steve then smacked Paul across the face.

"THAT's for knocking Shane out," Steve saw Paul look down, then smile and nod his head in appreciation.

"And no, we didn't. We were waiting for you and Shane to get done sweeping the area... Then we realized something was wrong and we found Shane sprawled out."

"Is he ok?" Paul asked, now thinking about what he had done.

Hitting Shane in the head with a gun didn't seem like a good idea anymore... Steve exhaled deeply.

"Well... Last time I saw him, he was still knocked out. Vince is with him. He has a huge ass bruise on the left side of his head, and he's bleeding a little." Steve replied.

"Should I bother asking what your fucking family issues has to do with ME?" Jamie shouted from the ground.

Steve had his right foot on Jamie's back, pinning him to the ground.

"Hmmm... I wonder why... Maybe it started with you kidnapping Shawn? Ya dumb sonuvabitch!" Steve shouted and stomped on Jamie.

Paul looked from Steve to Jamie.

"Where is he? Where do you have Shawn?" Paul shouted.

Jamie looked up at Paul. He didn't answer him, so Paul kicked him in the face. Jamie shouted out in pain, making Paul and Steve laugh.

"Oh come on! You found it funny when you did it to Shawn! I guess it's different when the roles are reversed!" Steve shouted and smacked Jamie on the head.

"I'm gonna go look for him... Meet you downstairs." Paul stated and got up.

He walked out of the room.

Steve looked down at Jamie.

"He better be alive, boy. Ya hear me? Shawn better be alive." He growled.

_Probably not for long..._ Jamie thought to himself and smirked.

* * *

Paul

Paul walked into a large room. The smell of blood filled the room.

_Guess I'm in the right place..._ Paul thought to himself.

He felt around for a light switch. Took him awhile, but he eventually found it and turned the light on. Robin looked up at him; the sudden movements made him notice her.

"Robin! What happened?" He asked, noticing Robin had a huge black and blue on her face.

She had tears strolling down her face, and she was holding her arm. He bent down to help her, but she scooted away from him.

"Don't touch me, please..," Robin sobbed.

Paul eventually got closer to her and was able to hug her.

"I'm sorry, Paul... I honestly tried to stop him," Robin paused.

Paul broke away from the hug to look at her in the eyes.

"I really did..." Her voice trailed off.

Her eyes floated away from Paul to the far side of the room. Paul followed her eyes...

All the way to the lifeless body of Shawn Michaels.

Paul immediately dismissed Robin's presence and walked over to Shawn in a slow, dramatic way. He was so shocked he was looking at Shawn in person that he didn't know what to do first, or what to expect. He dropped to his knees and looked down at Shawn, gaining the courage to look him over. Paul put his hand on Shawn's right shoulder and pulled him over, making him roll from his stomach to his back. Paul gulped and observed Shawn. His right arm was mangled... It reminded Paul of a pretzel. He picked up Shawn's left arm and only saw cuts on his wrist.

_Seems to me that somebody really wanted him dead..._

He put Shawn's left arm back down and picked up Shawn's head. Shawn's face was covered in cuts, bruises and dried blood. Not to mention, his hair was stained with blood.

_Ha-ha! Finally time to chop your hair off!_ Paul thought to himself, trying to lighten his own mood.

He remembered the video and began to press on Shawn's abdomen. He felt some unusual lumps. He nodded his head in disbelief and turned to look at Robin.

"What the hell did Jamie do to him?" He asked.

Robin sighed.

"When I got here, Jamie was standing right where you are... And Shawn was in the same position. Jamie was screaming something... And he had a bloody knife in his hand... When he saw me... He... Hit me... Which is why he didn't hear you guys coming into the house... He completely lost it... Paul... Get Shawn out of here... Please..." Robin sobbed.

Paul nodded his head at Robin and stood up. He tried to figure out how to get Shawn up. He knelt down and grabbed onto Shawn's left hand.

"Shawn... If you can hear me, I need you to work with me..," Paul whispered.

He didn't get a response.

"Shawn... It's me... It's Paul..," Paul paused again to look down at Shawn's hand.

He had just gripped Paul's hand. Paul smiled.

"Thanks, bro... I knew you could always hear me," Paul slipped his free hand under Shawn's back.

He slowly eased Shawn into a sitting position. Shawn started to gasp for air. Paul quickly began to rub Shawn's back.

"Shh... Shh... It's ok... Breathe, Shawny... Work with me..," Paul watched as Shawn briefly opened his eyes and looked at him.

His eyes were full of unshed tears. Paul smiled at him and then watched as Shawn's eyes slowly rolled to the back of his head. The tears strolled down his face. Paul's eyes filled with tears as he stood up and pulled Shawn to his feet, then scooped him up like a baby. He turned to look at Robin.

"Are you coming?" He asked.

Robin stood up and walked over to Paul.

"You have to get him out as quick as possible. I don't know what else Jamie is planning to do..." She told him.

Paul smiled down at her.

"He's not going to hurt anyone or do anything. Steve Austin has him tied up and pinned down to the floor." Paul told her.

Robin couldn't help but smile. The two made their way downstairs.

* * *

Downstairs

The first thing Paul noticed was that Steve had Jamie tied up, and, as he told Robin, had him pinned to the ground... In the most unusual way.

"Like my new chair?" Steve asked sarcastically.

Robin and Paul couldn't help but smile. Steve smiled as well, but his smile faded when he saw Shawn in Paul's arms. Vince looked up from where he was with Shane, who was still knocked out on the ground, but was moaning and moving around a little. Vince's eyes widened. He stood up and walked over to Paul.

Vince looked Shawn over while Paul watched.

"Jesus he looks like he's barely alive..." Vince stated.

He put a hand on Shawn's chest... Just to feel his heart beat. Steady and powerful, yet slow. Vince looked at Shawn's face. He turned away and saw Robin had gotten an ice pack for Shane and was holding it to his head.

"What the hell happened to him?" Robin asked.

Paul smiled shyly.

"Um... I kinda knocked him out by hitting him in the head with a gun... I wanted to get upstairs so I could get Shawn... Who, by the way... Feels about 100 pounds lighter," Paul looked down at Jamie.

"Was this guy fed?" He asked.

Jamie chuckled and once again refused to answer. Steve picked himself up and then dropped all his body weight onto Jamie, who once again shouted out in pain.

Robin looked up from Shane again.

"Not much..." She replied for Jamie.

Paul looked over at Robin.

"Thank you." He replied and looked angrily at Jamie.

Vince looked out the window and saw flashing lights. They heard police and ambulance sirens.

"I'll get the door." Vince stated sarcastically and walked over to the front door.

He opened it, only to be knocked down by a police man.

"EVERYONE FREEZE!" The man who knocked Vince over shouted.

"You, put your hands up!" Another cop shouted at Paul.

Paul laughed.

"Yeah? Want me to drop Shawn?" He asked.

"Relax guys... He's a good guy... I'm sitting on the bad guy." Steve stated.

The cops walked over to Austin and tossed him off of Jamie, then pulled him up and handcuffed him. They dragged Jamie out of the house and tossed him into a squad car.

The EMT's walked over to Paul.

"Would you mind putting him on the stretcher?" One of them asked.

Paul nodded his head and carefully placed Shawn onto the stretcher. He watched as they wheeled him out of the house.

"Who's coming with him?" The other EMT asked.

Vince looked at Austin and Paul.

"Go with them, Paul." He stated and pushed Paul towards the door.

Paul continued walking.

"I am." He told the EMT.

They walked side by side to the ambulance.

The only people left in the house were Steve, Robin, Vince and Shane. Shane was now sitting up and holding the ice pack to his head. Vince walked back over to Shane and knelt down to face him.

"You ok, kiddo?" He asked his son.

Shane looked up at him in the old Shane McMahon fashion, smirked and nodded his head.

"Yeah. I'll be ok. I have a major headache, though... And my eye hurts." Shane told his father.

Steve walked over to Vince and Shane.

"We might as well head to the hospital... Paul is gonna need some support," Steve stuck his hand out for Shane to grab.

"Come on, kid..." Shane grabbed Steve's hand.

Steve pulled Shane up and waited until the dizzy spell passed until he let Shane go.

Vince turned to Robin.

"Want to come with us? I'm sure Shawn would like to see you." Vince asked her.

Robin smiled and nodded her head no.

"No thank you, Mr. McMahon. I'll come down to the hospital to visit Shawn tomorrow... I need to get some sleep... And I really need to clean up around here... I promise I'll come by tomorrow," She glanced at Vince.

He took out his checkbook and started writing something.

"What are you doing, Mr. McMahon?" She asked.

He ripped the check out and gave it for her.

"Your reward for helping us get Shawn back," He held it out to her, but she refused to take it.

"Take it, Robin. You deserve it. You really helped us... And you helped Shawn too. We can never thank you enough for it."

Robin took the check.

"$18,000? What the hell am I gonna do with $18,000?" She asked.

Vince smiled at her.

"I don't know. And I don't care. It's your money now, and I can't, nor will I tell you what to do with it."

She smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you, Mr. McMahon." She told him.

He hugged her back. Once the two split apart, he smiled at her.

"You're welcome, Robin. Now go ahead and think of ways to spend your money... Thank you so much for all of your help, you will be hearing from us." He told her.

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, then turned around and left the house with Shane and Steve.

"We finally got him back..." Shane mumbled, obviously talking to Vince, who was driving Paul's car to the hospital.

Vince glanced at Shane when they were stopped at a red light, and noticed the kid was half conscious. He was obviously hurting. The bruise was now slightly swollen. Vince put a hand on Shane's shoulder, making him jump up to look at him.

"Relax, Shane-O... Relax... You're right, we finally got Shawn back... I still can't believe it myself... You know what..," Vince paused to look his son in the eyes. "I don't say this enough. I love you, Shane. I love you and I will always try to protect you no matter what..." Vince told him, and leaned over to kiss his son on the head.

Shane winced at the pain Vince had caused his head, but smiled at his dad. That was a real heart-felt speech Vince had given him. He was never afraid to show his emotions to anyone, which was a good thing... At times... Shane looked down at his hands, then back at his dad.

"I love you too, dad... And I won't let anything happen to you, either."

Vince smiled and watched from his peripheral vision as Shane put his head back down and closed his eyes. Vince struggled with his emotions... His eyes had filled with tears. It was finally over...

Or, was it?

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter finished! LOL. I loved the Vince/Shane segment... Reminded me of that one time on Raw when Trips "accidentally" hit Shane in the face with a sledgehammer and Vince was sobbing and hugging Shane, rocking him back and forth... I remember waking up and seeing that... I was like 'what is this, gay porno crap? Raw is supposed to be on...' Then I realized it was Raw... I was like... Oh... LOLZ... I really like showing the REAL Vince McMahon and the REAL McMahon family in my stories... Such sweet people don't deserve some of the bashing they receive. LOL...**

**Read and review please... (Sorry for the ranting about the McMahons)**

**Oh yeah... This story is FAR from over!**

**Edit: The name of the chapter is from the song 'Candle (Sick & Tired)' by The White Tie Affair. Can you tell I like that song? LOL. If you've heard the song, you'll know the line goes 'I'd be lying if I told you: losing you is something I could handle.' So that's the context I mean it in. (Obviously).**


	15. Dead Inside

Dark Reflections

Chapter 15

Dead Inside

Paul sat in the hospital waiting for the doctors in the Emergency Room to finish treating Shawn. It had been a total of 45 minutes since they first arrived in the hospital, and since then, Paul had been given the usual boring paperwork to fill out. Name, Date of Birth, Social Security Number, Contacts... He was sick of the same old questions. But, better yet, he was sick of filling them out for Shawn.

_Maybe sleep will do some good... And it'll also pass some time..._ Paul thought to himself. He decided to close his eyes and see if he could sleep.

_Paul was looking at Shawn, who was pretty ticked off about something and was pacing around the locker room. _

_"Come on, Shawn... I'll just take it... There's nothing wrong with taking it..." Paul told Shawn. _

_Shawn kept pacing, then suddenly spun around and looked at Paul. _

_"No. Hell no. I'm not letting you!"_

_Paul lowered his head, clearly ashamed of himself. _

_"SHAWN! Let me take the blame for it! It's my fault... Let me just tell Vince the goddamn truth." Paul told Shawn, who once again paced around angrily. _

_"No, no, no, no... NO! It's not your fault, and I'm not letting you get in trouble for it," Shawn looked back at Paul, who had his head in his hands. Shawn walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Hunter... Ya can't let this keep ya down. Get up and keep going. You can do anything ya want! Ya wanna know why? Cause I'm the 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels and I said so, that's why!" Shawn shouted at him._

_He looked up at Shawn and grinned at him. _

_"Thanks, Shawn... You always know what to say... But... What are we gonna do about... You know..?" Paul asked. _

_Shawn looked around the locker room, then back at Paul. _

_"We tell Vince that Shane did it!"_

_Paul glared at Shawn. His best friend was clearly out of his mind. _

_"Shawn… You know damn well Vince won't believe Shane had anything to do with what happened in the ring tonight. It was my fault, I was the one who came up with the idea and went to Vince with it, and so I'll take the heat for everything." _

_Shawn frowned at him just as Vince walked into their locker room. _

_"Shawn, Paul," The two men in question turned to look at Vince. "We need to talk… It's about what happened tonight," Vince cut Shawn off when he was about to open his mouth. "I have to throw the book at you, Paul… Because I can't touch the champion."_

Paul jumped up once he felt somebody shaking him. He opened his eyes and saw a doctor from the Emergency Room.

"Mr. Levesque? Sorry to wake you... It's about your friend, Mr. Hickenbottom?" The doctor asked.

Paul rubbed his face a little. He turned to look at the doctor again.

"Yeah? What is it, what's wrong?"

"Nothing... Well... Of course there is something wrong... But... Not death or anything like that," The doctor paused. Paul smiled slightly. "How is he? What was wrong?" He asked.

The doctor took a deep breath.

"He's resting in ICU... Well... Blood loss was a major problem... His right arm is broken from collarbone - down... His knees are slightly swollen... He has several broken ribs..." The doctor's voice trailed off once he saw the tears streaming down Paul's face.

"He'll be ok, though, right?" Paul asked.

The doctor smiled slightly at Paul and nodded his head yes.

"He needs a lot of rest, though... And... In a lot of kidnapping cases, it takes the victim a long time to get over what happened to them... I understand he was beaten by the captor," The doctor paused to watch Paul nod his head in agreement. "Well... In that case, it'll take him even longer to get over it. Just be patient with him..." The doctor told Paul and was about to walk away, but Paul got up and tapped him on the back.

The doctor turned to face him.

"Can I see him?" He asked.

The doctor smiled.

"Of course you can! 3B-108. Best of luck to you in the future." The doctor shook Paul's hand and walked away.

* * *

Shawn's Room

Paul walked into Shawn's hospital room and closed the door. He walked over to his buddy and looked him over. To his surprise, Shawn was looking back at him, watching everything he did.

"Hey Shawn! You're awake! How do you feel," Paul asked.

However, Shawn just stared at him.

"Shawn? Can you hear me," Paul asked, waving his hand in Shawn's face.

Shawn watched Paul wave his hand back and forth, then stared Paul in the eyes when he put his hand back down.

"What's wrong?"

He never got an answer.

* * *

**A/N: I know it was a bit boring but... Hey... I can't make every chapter exciting... This chapter will lead to better ones... Actually... 16 is going to be much better... LOL...  
Edit: 'Dead Inside' is from the song 'It's All Over' by Three Days Grace.**


	16. Say What You Need to Say

Dark Reflections

Chapter 16

Say What You Need to Say

Shawn was lying in his hospital bed as usual. For the past 5 days he had done nothing but stare at the wall, the ceiling or at people when they spoke to him. He had gotten over a very bad fever from infection... Something the doctors thought was going to kill him. He still hadn't seen his wife, nor had he made any effort to call her. He didn't even talk to Vince, Shane and Steve when they came to see him. He just stared at them... All they saw was a man with ice cold blue eyes... They didn't recognize him at all. Shawn closed his eyes and thought about what had happened.

_It was the day after Shawn had been brought to the hospital. He was burning up all over... Paul had said something about a bad fever from infection... Well, he thought Paul said something about an infection. It came down to the point where he was delirious and could barely hear people... That was how he knew what Paul said was true. Shane, Steve and Vince were hanging around a lot. Shane had a huge bruise on the left side of his face. He said it was from Paul, but Shawn knew it couldn't be true. Why would Paul hit his brother in law in the head with a gun? It seemed stupid to him... But Shane rarely lied... So there had to be some truth to it._

_Vince walked in and sat down next to Shawn. He didn't like how glassy Shawn's eyes were, but there was nothing else he could really do about it. He was getting the best treatment, no matter how slow it was taking for him to get better. Vince smiled at Shawn, however, Shawn just stared back at him. _

_"Thought you would like this," Vince paused and put an ice cold rag onto Shawn's head. Shawn thought a whole bunch of steam came off his head, but he was only imagining it. _

_Shawn's eyes closed... That cold rag felt like heaven. _

_"Aha. Knew you would..," Vince smiled again. _

_Shawn saw this when he opened his eyes._

_"Doc says you have a pretty high fever, but we're gonna bring it down in no time," Vince moved the rag all over Shawn's face. _

_He was sweating bullets. _

_"You'll be as good as new in no time... Now... Paul told me to ask you... Are you going to cancel the rest of your contract? I understand if you do... I have no argument against your decision," Vince paused and watched as Shawn just stared at him. _

_When it didn't look like Shawn was going to answer, Vince continued. _

_"You just think about it, ok? I know you've been through a lot... And if you want to end your contract, just let me know," Vince got up from the chair. _

_He bent over and kissed Shawn's forehead. _

_"Love you, Shawn." He stated and left._

_Shane walked in next. Instead of sitting down, he stood up, with his arms folded across his chest. Shawn looked up at him. He felt the urge to laugh, but couldn't. Something was wrong... He always loved to laugh... _

_"Shawn," Shane paused. _

_He wanted to make sure Shawn was looking at him... He also couldn't bear to see Shawn like that... All the bruises and scars... It seriously bothered him. _

_"I wanted you to know... That I took the liberty of placing a call to your parents in San Antonio," He looked at Shawn to see if his emotion changed... _

_Nothing... _

_"They said they can't make it up for a short time, your nephew is coming home from Iraq this week... But, they said they'll be up here next week... They were really worried about you, and they still are..," Shane leaned in. "We were really worried to... I have no idea what that asshole did to you to make you like this... But I want you to know that we're here for you when you want to talk." Shane, who was quite known for being shy and not showing emotions in front of his friends, leaned in further and kissed Shawn on the forehead, just like Vince had done. _

_Shane then turned around and walked out of the room._

_Shawn knew the next one was coming. Steve walked in all pissed off. He walked right over to Shawn and put his hand on his shoulder. _

_"Listen, kid... I understand you're hurting... I've been there and it ain't fun... But... I just wanted to let you know I'm here when you want to talk. Cause...Let's face it, you're like a little brother to me and I love you," Steve paused and kissed Shawn on the forehead. _

_Honestly, what was with that? _

_"I'll see you later." Steve rubbed Shawn's shoulder and walked out._

_Shawn closed his eyes and heard Vince, Shane, Steve and Paul talking outside of his room. _

_"He won't say anything to me either... I think there's something wrong... He won't say a damn word to anybody." Vince stated. _

_"Dad, give him a chance! He just spent a month and a half getting his ass kicked by some jack off who was trying to impress you! Give him time to heal and get his mind back together. He's in pieces right, now, Vince... Give him time." That had to be Paul talking. _

_He was the only one who would stick up for Shawn when he most needed it. _

_"Paul, there is seriously something wrong... The doctor wants to get him a psychiatrist... He figures it's the only way Shawn will talk unless one of us gets him to open his damn mouth." Shane told Paul. _

_"Let's face it, guys... There is something wrong... That man who is laying in there is not the same Shawn Michaels we knew once upon a time. His blue eyes are ice cold... He doesn't know us the same way we know him... You're right, Paul. Shawn is in pieces. Maybe he's in too many pieces for us to fix..."_

"Hey Shawn," Shawn's day dream was interrupted by Paul's voice.

Shawn turned to look at him. Paul pulled up the chair and sat next to Shawn. He put a stuffed dog on the bed next to him.

"Got you a gift... He looks like Homer, doesn't he," Paul paused again.

Shawn looked down at the dog. It was a yellow Labrador. He looked back at Paul for a brief moment, then back down at the dog. It did remind him of his dog, Homer.

"Um... Listen, buddy," Paul paused again.

Shawn looked at the dog one last time and actually saw sadness in its eyes. He exhaled deeply before looking back at Paul.

"I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that this happened to you," Paul paused and looked at Shawn in shock.

Shawn's expression had changed for the first time since he was found. He looked as if he was questioning Paul's statement.

"It's all my fault that this happened. I was the one who wanted to bring D-X back... I should've respected your opinion about it instead of pushing for Vince to bring it back... I should've been in the locker room with you that night... I should have defended you. If I was there, nothing would've happened! Maybe the shot to the head with the pipe... But not all of this... You would never have been traumatized by this bastard if it weren't for me! I'm so sorry, Shawn... I'm sorry..." Paul stated.

He started to cry.

And that was something Shawn didn't like to see. He couldn't bear to see it, either. He slowly reached for Paul's face...

Paul had his eyes shut tight and was sobbing hysterically. He suddenly felt that ever familiar hand wiping the tears away. He opened his eyes to see Shawn, in visible pain, reaching over to wipe the tears away from his face. Now he remembered that Shawn hated to see people cry, especially if they were close to him. Once Shawn looked up and saw Paul was looking back at him, he wiped the pain stricken look off his face.

The blue eyes Paul had missed so much had returned.

The assuring smile of Paul's best friend brightened his day once more.

"No need for tears, Paul. I'm here."

Paul's eyes filled with tears again as he listened to his best friends voice. A small smile had appeared on his face.

"Oh, Shawn! I missed you!" Paul shouted and hugged Shawn, completely forgetting he was hurting.

He heard Shawn's soft chuckle.

"Ow." He sarcastically stated.

Paul pulled himself away from Shawn, realizing he had made a bit of a mistake by hugging him like that. However... Instead of saying sorry...

"Shawn... I love you..." Paul stated.

Shawn looked into Paul's deep brown eyes. He watched as Paul's eyes filled with tears and slowly let them go. He felt his own eyes do the same thing.

"Yeah... I love you too, Paul..."

* * *

**A/N: Awwwwwwwwww! How cute! I love using the strong bond between Shawn and Paul to my advantage! LOL Read and review please...  
Several more chapters to go... I think on the A.N of the next one I'm going to have a poll about my next story.**

**Edit: The chapter's title is a line in the song 'Say' by John Mayer.**


	17. One Voice Lacks Emotion Now

Dark Reflections

Chapter 17

One Voice Lacks Emotion Now

It was early Saturday morning and Shawn was already showing great improvement... The doctor even offered to release him.

"The only concern I had was the fact he refused to talk," The doctor paused and looked from Shawn to Paul and Vince.

"But since he's talking and showing emotion... I can definitely release him into your care," The doctor paused again to glance at Shawn briefly.

"However... No wrestling whatsoever until that arm is fully healed... And I would like to see you again before you leave the area." The doctor smiled down at Shawn and went to leave, but was stopped by Vince.

"We never caught your name, Doctor..."

The doctor smiled.

"My name is Jamye Jones," The doctor stated.

He looked at everyone's eyes and saw they had widened... A lot.

"Is there a problem?" He asked and looked at Shawn.

Shawn's eyes widened... Then he looked around and slowly pulled the covers over his head.

Paul looked over at Shawn and saw he was hiding under the covers. It took him a short time to figure out why. He spun back around to face Doctor Jones.

"You said your name is Jamye Jones," He asked.

The Doctor nodded his head yes. Paul put a finger to his mouth to hush him before he would've spoke. He pointed over at Shawn.

"That's what his captor told him his name was, but his real name was Austin Payne." Paul continued.

"Oh... I see... Well... Sorry my name scares you, Shawn," The doctor turned around and saw that Shawn didn't move the covers.

He turned to look back at Vince and Paul.

"A nurse will bring the forms in for you... Just sign them and give them back to her. Nice meeting you." The doctor shook both their hands and left.

Vince and Paul looked at each other.

"Now what?" Vince asked.

Paul nudged his head towards Shawn.

"We get scaredy cat out from the protection of his sheets." He replied.

"What do you think will work?" Vince asked Paul.

Paul walked over to Shawn and shrugged his shoulders.

"He's gone, Shawn," Paul told Shawn.

When he didn't get an answer, he pulled the sheets down. Shawn was staring up at him.

"He's gone... There's nothing to be afraid of." Paul told him.

Shawn nodded his head and sat up again. Vince walked over to Shawn and Paul. He looked at Shawn.

"You're gonna come home with us. Well... Actually... We still have a show in Madison Square Garden... But you two can stay at the hotel and chill out if you want... You don't have to go to the arena. As long as you're safe with us, I don't care." Vince told Shawn and smiled.

Shawn smiled back.

"Awwwww... That's so sweet of you, Vin Man..."

In no time at all, the nurse arrived with the release forms. Vince snatched them away from her and signed them as quickly as he could. He shoved them back into her hands and looked back at Paul.

"Ummmm... What are we going to do for clothes?" Vince asked.

Paul smiled.

"I brought a bag with me... It has my gym clothes and a clean pair of jeans... He's going to have to wear the jeans, no matter how baggy they are, a gym shirt and my jacket... For shoes... Um... I'm guessing he can use my sneakers... And I have like a thousand pair of socks in here…" Paul paused as he looked through his bag.

He threw a pair of socks, a pair of jeans, a gym shirt and sneakers at Vince, which, surprisingly, he caught every single item. Shawn sat on the bed and laughed at Vince. Vince couldn't help but smile at him.

Paul stood up and walked over to Shawn. He helped him stand up and get his clothes on. The jeans were so baggy on him that they fell down. Shawn just looked down at them, then back at Paul, who had bursted out laughing. Vince nodded his head in disbelief, but mostly embarrassment. He took off his own belt and gave it to Shawn.

"Thanks." Shawn told him.

Instead of putting the belt on, he hit Paul in the back with it. Paul stopped laughing and smiled the best he could, still trying to hold in his laughter. Shawn rolled his eyes, then pulled the jeans back up and put the belt on. Paul took off his jacket and helped Shawn put it on.

Vince grabbed onto Shawn's left arm just in case he was going to fall. Shawn looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want you to fall on your face and break your nose... God forbid you start looking like Paul..." Vince stated and smiled.

Shawn bursted into laughter and bent over, clearly about to piss his pants. Paul frowned at Vince, and then started laughing.

"You cracked a joke! Oh my God! It's a miracle!" Once Shawn was calmed down, the three men made their way out of the hospital and to the hotel, where Shane and Steve were 'patiently' waiting.

"Ugh! We almost got mobbed by all these goddamn wrestling fans! I even got hit in the head with a packet of ketchup!" Shane shouted, making Shawn laugh his ass off.

Shane looked at him and tried to figure out what was so funny, but then thought about what he had just shouted. He suddenly felt like an ass for saying that and smiled. Steve rolled his eyes and smiled as well.

"That's not as funny as the poor soul who got hit in the face with a bagel... Somebody actually threw a bagel! Can you believe that?" Steve shouted, making Shawn laugh harder.

Paul smiled and knelt down to rub Shawn's back a bit.

"Calm down there, Shawny... God, you're gonna piss your pants." He stated.

"Actually... These are YOUR pants!" Shawn shouted in between giggles and random bursts of laughter.

Vince nodded his head in embarrassment and led Shawn and Paul to the hotel room they would be sharing, alongside Shane and Steve. The five men sat down in Paul and Shawn's hotel room. Vince had gotten up and picked up a bag. He walked over to Shawn and watched as the man looked at the bag curiously. Vince pulled out a pair of scissors, several bottles of peroxide and a spray bottle. Shawn got the idea and gulped.

"We'll let Paul do the honors if you wish..." Vince told him, trying to joke around.

Shawn smiled and nodded his head.

"Yeah... I guess... What about people who actually know how to cut hair?" Shawn asked.

Paul gasped.

"I'm shocked at you, Shawn! I've cut your hair once or twice in the past!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah... As a prank..." Shane mumbled.

Paul shot Shane an evil glare.

"Quiet, you!" He shouted and threw the TV remote clear across the room at his face...

"OW!" Shane shouted and grabbed his cheek where the remote had hit him.

Steve rolled his eyes, somewhat in embarrassment and looked over at Shawn. Shawn was spinning the scissors around on his finger. Paul then turned his attention back at Shawn and took the scissors away from him.

"Mind if I settle on the bed or something?" Shawn asked.

"Yes, I do mind. You need to be in a chair so I can see what the hell it is I'm doing," Paul stated.

He looked around for a water bottle or something to dump on Shawn's head. He turned to look at Vince.

"Do you think you can get me some water? I need his hair to be wet before I start cutting…" Paul asked nicely.

Vince nodded his head and walked away with the spray bottle in hand. He filled it with water and handed it to Paul. Steve joined the two and watched as Paul sprayed the water onto Shawn's hair and started cutting away.

"Damn, is all of that blood?" Steve asked.

"It appears to be... Good grief... I've been waiting for this moment for a VERY long time!" Paul exclaimed with a large smile on his face.

He waited for a strange comment from Shawn, but didn't get one. Paul leaned forward to see why he didn't get a response, but he heard Shane's voice.

"He's sleeping."

Paul smirked.

"More the better for us, then... Don't want him freaking out while I'm doing this…" Paul stated with a smile.

He kept cutting Shawn's hair until it was as short as Dane Cook's. He smiled once he was finished and looked at Vince, Shane and Steve's faces. Their jaws dropped to the floor in shock.

"Oh... My... God! I don't think he's going to be very happy about this!" Vince shouted.

"Not like it really matters, dad... As long as all of that blood is out of his hair, I don't give a damn…" Paul paused and poured the peroxide in the spray bottle, then proceeded to spray it into Shawn's hair.

He stopped once Shawn's hair was soaked in peroxide, and then turned to look at Shane evilly.

"What do you want?" Shane asked.

"You're next, bubble butt!" Paul shouted and tackled Shane onto the floor and soaked his hair in peroxide as well.

Paul stood up and smiled, obviously very proud of his achievements. He put the spray bottle down on the table and looked at Vince, who was currently laughing at the fact Shane's hair was already changing color.

"Wait until your mother sees that!" Vince barked and kept laughing.

Steve nodded his head, in both embarrassment and humor.

"What would be really funny is if your hair turns as light as Ric Flair's..." Steve stated and smiled.

Paul smiled as well.

"Yeah... But at least he'd look better... Shane-O," Paul turned to look at Shane and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're too white to have dark hair... You'd look better with light hair..." Paul stated, then looked up at his hair again.

He almost bursted out laughing, but caught himself. Shane's hair was almost as light as Linda's. Vince turned to look at Shawn's hair and saw it was looking like a strawberry-blonde. He smiled and sprayed more peroxide on it. He put the bottle down, then remained staring at Shawn. He couldn't help but to keep on staring. He had been waiting to see Shawn for a month and a half.

"Like a dream come true, huh," Vince turned to look at Steve, who was the person who just spoke.

Then he turned back to look at Shawn.

"Everyone's been waiting so long to see him, Vince... We're the lucky ones who got to see him first... Think about everyone else's reaction when they see him." Steve stated and smiled.

Vince smiled back.

"I agree... If he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to come to Raw on Monday. We can wait until he's ready to bring him back. Nobody will mind... I just want him to feel safe and comfortable before we force him to come back to an arena." Vince stated and wiped some peroxide off of Shawn's forehead.

"I don't think it'll take long for Shawn to make the decision of when he wants to return to Raw. He pretty much has his mind set on what he wants to do; even though he won't tell me what the hell his plans are... Oh well... I guess we'll find out sooner or later." Paul stated out of nowhere with a shrug of his shoulders.

Steve nodded his head in agreement.

"Exactly... Shawn knows what he wants to do... Only time will tell if he's going to do it or not."

Vince looked down at Shawn and began to tap his cheeks lightly in attempts to wake him up. No use. Shawn didn't move. He turned to look at Paul.

"I think we should stop talking all dramatically and get Shawn on the bed... He looks pretty cramped up on the chair and that can't be good for him." Vince stated.

Paul smiled.

"Sure... Of course I'll move him, Vin Man!" He sarcastically shouted and grabbed Shawn's left arm like he had done in the house.

He slipped his other hand under Shawn's back and slowly pulled him to his feet, then scooped him up like a baby and walked over to the bed. Shane pulled the covers down and watched as Paul placed Shawn down nice and slow, then untied his shoes and tossed them to the side of the bed. He pulled the covers over Shawn and walked away.

"At least he looks comfortable now…" Vince stated.

Paul nodded his head, turned back to look at Shawn, and then looked back at Vince.

"Yeah... I'm still worried about him, though... I think he should've stayed in the hospital a bit longer, maybe even a day..," Paul paused to see the odd looks on Vince and Steve's faces.

"He's not... Himself…" Paul stated.

Steve interrupted him this time.

"Of course he ain't himself, Paul! He ain't gonna open his mouth about what happened until he feels ready, Paul! And... By the looks of things, he ain't gonna be ready for awhile."

Paul narrowed his eyes at Steve.

"I've noticed that already, Steve! I'm saying... Agh! You don't know what I'm saying... And I can't explain it to you, either! Nobody knows him as well as I do... And I can't start to try and explain, either!" Paul shouted, then turned around...

Vince sighed. He moved a little closer to Paul.

"The thought of what happened to him bothers you, doesn't it," Vince paused to acknowledge the fact that Paul had exhaled deeply, which meant he was on the verge of tears.

"The thought of Jamie... Austin... Whatever the fuck his name is... Actually..," Vince lowered his voice.

"Raping," His voice was dull, pissed off and un-feeling.

Not to mention, he felt a bit disturbed that he was saying it.

"Shawn really is bugging you... It has to be," Vince paused and heard Paul sob loudly.

Paul put a hand to his forehead and kept crying.

"It's bugging me too! I can't imagine how Shawn will ever get over that!"

"Wait a goddamn minute," Vince turned to look at Steve.

"Shawn was raped by... By... By... By a MAN?" He shouted, his anger flowing in his words. Vince lowered his head a little and slightly nodded yes.

"We... We saw a video on Raw; it was something Robin had captured... Shawn called Payne a 'homosexual bastard,' but Payne corrected him by saying a 'bisexual bastard,'" Vince paused and sighed.

"How else would he know that Payne swayed?" Vince asked.

"Agh! I'd like to grab that son of a bitch and cut his damn balls off!" Steve growled.

The two completely stopped talking when they noticed Paul had changed his location.

They looked down at Shane, who was now sitting on the floor listening to his iPod. He pointed at the bed. Vince and Steve looked at the bed to see Paul was kneeling on the floor, watching Shawn sleep. He was still crying, but not as much as he was before. Whenever he sobbed loudly, he buried his face in the mattress and did so. He then suddenly squatted and wrapped his arms around Shawn, carefully hugging the man so he wouldn't hurt him or wake him. Once he rested his head on Shawn's, he jerked away violently and put a hand to Shawn's forehead.

"Oh shit... FUCK!" Paul yelled.

The fact that Paul had just shouted a profanity and seemed panicked caught the attention of Vince, Steve and Shane. The three men looked at Paul curiously.

"What's the matter?" Vince asked.

Paul was feeling around Shawn's head with the back of his hand.

"He's fucking burning up," Paul shouted.

Shane jumped up from his spot on the floor and ran over to the bed to look for himself.

"I told you he shouldn't have left the hospital! He was too fucked up to leave! Why the fuck did I go along with it!" Paul screamed, still feeling around Shawn's face with the back of his hand.

"Relax, son! It ain't your fault!" Steve shouted at him.

Shane looked from Steve to Paul, then down at Shawn. He lowered himself onto the bed carefully, getting odd looks from Paul in the process. He then pressed his lips to Shawn's forehead. He pulled away after a moment and looked at Paul.

"Fever. And if we don't get medicine soon, it's going to get worse."

Paul looked at Shane like he was crazy.

"What in the blue hell do you mean by that?" Paul asked.

Shane smirked and nodded his head.

"You wouldn't understand it, Paul... Just go get some fever medicine... We're lucky you caught this before he started thrashing around sweating bullets... Not to mention, mumbling shit that doesn't make any sense... Hurry up, get medicine!" Shane shouted, somewhat pushing Paul towards the door.

Paul obeyed Shane and opened the door. He was about to close it when he saw Shane turn his back to him. Paul reached his arm into the room and grabbed Shane by his shirt. He pulled Shane out of the hotel room and shut the door behind him.

Vince and Steve were now standing over Shawn, staring at the door, quite confused by the event that just took place before them. They then looked at each other and raised an eyebrow, then looked down at Shawn. Steve placed his hand on Shawn's forehead, then pulled it away and looked back at Vince.

"He was right..," Steve paused and tried to figure out what to say.

He was left speechless over this matter.

"I don't know what to do... I guess we should've left him at the hospital for an extra day..." Steve sighed.

He rubbed his head with his right hand. Vince sighed as well.

"Ah... I don't know what to do either... Now I know we should've gotten him extra medical attention... Who would've thought he was going to get sick? I will never understand how this shit happens..." Vince sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

He put his head in his hands and cried.

Steve sat next to him and put his arm around Vince's shoulders. Vince cried harder and hugged Steve. Steve, who was a bit taken aback by Vince's random emotional breakdown, decided to return the gesture and rub Vince's back.

"Relax, Vince... I know this is bugging you... Don't be so hard on yourself, none of this is your fault... You didn't do anything..." Vince pulled away from Steve and smiled, then wiped his face with his hand.

He weakly smiled at Steve.

"I know... But... There's something inside of me saying it is... Some part of me thinks it's all my fault... I don't know why... But thinking of Bret Hart increases those feelings..." Vince stopped talking and looked at Shawn.

He violently thrust his head back and forth, from side to side.

Vince and Steve looked at each other, then back down at Shawn. They knew what that meant. He was starting to sweat and it looked like he was having one hell of a nightmare. Steve put his hand onto Shawn's face again and felt around. He took it off and looked back at Vince.

"He got worse... Get a cold rag or something!" Steve shouted and watched as Vince made a beeline for the bathroom.

He came back with a soaking wet cold rag. Steve was sitting on the bed, rubbing Shawn's chest, trying to get him to listen to his voice and calm down. Shawn's breathing was quickened and sharp, his face was red and he was sweating. Vince sat on the other side of the bed and pressed the cool rag against Shawn's face. Shawn's breathing slowly returned to normal, but still seemed a bit sharp once in awhile.

"I wish those two morons would get back here soon..." Vince mumbled.

Just as Vince finished his sentence, the door bursted open and in came Paul and Shane. Shane was holding a hand on his hair, which was almost as white as Ric Flair's, and Paul ran straight to the bed with medicine in hand. He pushed Steve to the side and sat on the bed next to Shawn, then moved the rag off of Shawn's face. Jesus, Shawn looked horrible. He looked pale, which made the scars and bruises on his face seem much bolder... And he was sweating up a storm. Paul put the medicine down and slipped his hands under Shawn's arms and lifted him up so he was leaning against the backboard of the bed. Shawn groaned at the act, and briefly opened his eyes to look at Paul, but closed them as quickly as he opened them. Paul sighed.

"Shawn... Shawn come on, open your eyes and look at me…" Paul paused and watched as Shawn struggled through obvious pain to open his eyes.

His eyes were as clear as crystal, wide and glassy with fever.

"What?" Shawn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Paul held out the medicine for him to take.

"Take this... You'll feel better." Shawn looked at the medicine, then back at Paul.

He took the medicine. Paul smiled and helped Shawn lay back down the normal way. Shawn stared at Paul and weakly smiled back at him. Paul put his hand to Shawn's face and rubbed it softly with his thumb.

"You look like shit." Paul paused to see Shawn's smile grow bigger.

"Thanks." He replied, his voice still barely above a whisper.

"You should go back to sleep... You might feel better that way... Let the medicine kick in and do its job... We'll be here if you need anything." Paul whispered to him.

Shawn nodded his head.

"Ok... Thanks Paul..." Shawn whispered back and closed his eyes.

He slowly drifted off to a struggled slumber. Shane smiled at Paul once he turned his attention towards the younger man.

"What are you looking so smug about?" Paul asked.

Shane chuckled at Paul's statement.

"Nothing... Nothing at all... I guess we're in store for a long weekend?" Shane asked.

Vince and Steve nodded their heads.

"Most likely... We're going to really have to keep an eye on Shawn... Make sure he doesn't get any worse, that's the last thing we need..." Vince stated.

Steve nodded his head in agreement.

"Let's watch a football game or something."

Paul picked up the remote to the TV and turned it on. They couldn't find a football game... Or at least a football team that they actually give a damn about... So he flipped through the channels and found _The Punisher_ on HBO. They decided to watch that and order some food. Paul tried to wake Shawn up to see what he wanted, but was unsuccessful. He decided to just get Shawn some pasta; Shawn loved pasta and always wanted it when he wasn't feeling well.

While the movie was on, Vince, Shane, Steve and Paul decided to start playing poker. Paul went into the game thinking he was going to win, but it had never dawned on him that Shane was good at the game. Shane was DAMN good at poker. Vince turned to look at a sleeping Shawn and sighed, then looked back at Paul, who was now in a final show down with Shane and was losing miserably. Vince smiled and looked back at Shawn. Steve looked at Vince's eyes and followed them. He looked over at Shawn, then back at Vince. He nudged Vince's arm, making Vince look at him, and then nudged his head to the door. The two got up and walked outside of the hotel... They needed some fresh air.

Steve turned to look Vince in the eyes.

"Sill bugging you, huh?" He asked.

Vince sighed again and nodded his head yes.

"I honestly don't know what else I can do for him... I don't know if there's anything I can do for him... I just wish this never happened…" Vince paused and began to sob again.

Steve hugged him.

"Hey... Relax... We can't really do anything for him right now, unless he gets worse... We'll just have to wait and see what happens." Steve stated.

Vince pulled away from Steve and the two walked side by side back into the hotel.

"I wonder what that kid is dreaming about..."

* * *

**A/N: Woofa! Finally done with this chapter! It wasn't going to be really long... But I acted out something and I really liked how it sounded, so I decided to put it into the chapter. Sorry for the long wait... And all the freaking drama in this one! Now that school is back in session I have to worry about my grades, and I'm only going to be working on this story when I have free time. I have 2 AP courses and the rest all honors, so I have to work really hard. LOL, hope you don't mind... But, don't worry. I always find free time to work on these... And csimiamigirl73 is always bugging me to keep going with the story. LMAO, if it weren't for Katie, I wouldn't have finished this when I did! So... TY KATIE!**

**Ok... Here we go... I'm going to put a poll on here to see what I should put onto FanFiction next...**

**Sins of the Mother: A WWE Superstar is re-united with his family after 12 years of separation from his sons under the most unpleasant circumstances. However, what he doesn't know, is that his 14 year old boys are gang leaders, and his boys don't know that he is their father.  
Drafted: 8 WWE Superstars are drafted into the War against Terrorism, completely unaware of how it will affect them and their friendship. Superstars: Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Randy Orton, Steve Austin, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Dave Batista, John Cena... And appearances by Shane McMahon.  
Hold On: A story of 2 abused brothers who are separated at a young age and re-united in the WWE**

**So... Just let me know what you want to read the most and I'll start working on it.**

**Oh yeah... As you can see, there is a hint in this chapter of what is going to happen in a future one! Can you find it? Not to mention... This chapter is going to lead to the dreaded 'Fever Dreams' one... UGH... LOL. I'm not very fond of those, but it'll help explain things... I should be more specific... It'll help explain what happened to Shawn better.**

**Edit: The chapter's name 'Once Voice Lacks Emotion Now' is from the song 'This Is Who We Are' by Hawthorne Heights. R.I.P. Casey Calvert.**


	18. Wake Me Up, I’m Living a Nightmare

Dark Reflections

Chapter 18

Wake Me Up, I'm Living a Nightmare

Pain... How come the only thing I feel and remember is pain...?

_Shawn slowly opened his eyes and tried to remember where he was. The memories soon came flooding back into his head. The fake police officer. The lead pipe shot to the head. Being dragged into a car. Being beaten even more. Being cut by a razor blade. Probably breaking his wrist. Leaning against the wall._

Yeah... Still in Jamie's house...

_Shawn lifted up his left arm to check his head. As soon as his fingers made contact with his forehead, he hissed and moved his hand away._

Probably still bleeding...

_Shawn lowered his head and tried to encourage the rest of his body to move. He wound up slumping lower against the wall. He was just too weak to move. Shawn lowered his head once again, this time in defeat._

Things couldn't get any worse, could they?

_He suddenly remembered every single detail about the kidnapping, and the people who were probably worrying like crazy about him. His heart began to hurt, simply by thinking about Paul and the thought of his reaction to the situation._

Better me then him.

_His heart suddenly started to hurt even more._

Becky...

_The thought of his wife and family learning of what happened made him want to roll into a ball and cry_.

No! None of that! I'm a soldier, I can't be broken.

_The door suddenly bursted open, making Shawn jump. It was Jamie again, and he wasn't looking happy... Or sober, for that matter. Jamie walked over to Shawn and knelt down in front of him, grabbing his shirt. _

_"Ya know... You don't have to be beaten every time I get mad... You could always do something else instead." Jamie stated and rubbed Shawn's face with his free hand. _

_Shawn processed what Jamie had just said, then jerked his head away from him. _

_"Fuck off!" Shawn shouted._

_Jamie sighed and stood up again. _

_"Don't say I didn't offer. Remember this moment the next time I leave you in a heap of yourself. All you have to do is call my name and I'll come." Jamie told him with a sick smile. _

_Shawn winced at the very thought. _

_"Fuck off." He repeated._

_Jamie laughed. _

_"You'll regret saying that." He spun on his heels and walked out of the room, slamming and locking the door behind him._

_Shawn slumped even lower against the wall and wondered..._

What the fuck did I get myself into...?

* * *

Paul watched as Shawn tossed and turned. The dream he was having didn't look like a pleasant one. He walked over to Shawn and sat down on the bed, then put his hand on his best friends shoulder. He shook it slightly, making Shawn stir around. Shawn opened his eyes to look at Paul.

"You ok, man? Looked like you were having one major nightmare," Paul paused and pressed his hand to Shawn's forehead.

When he pulled his hand away, he saw that Shawn had fallen asleep again.

"Or... You can just go to sleep and ignore me, either way, it makes me happy..." Paul sarcastically stated.

Vince walked into the hotel room. The first thing he noticed was Paul sitting on Shawn's bed.

"Everything ok, Paul?" Vince asked.

Paul acknowledged him, then stood up and stretched out.

"Uh... Yeah, I guess so. Shawn seems to be having a bad dream... I fucking hate fever dreams!" Paul shouted.

Vince chuckled and looked down at Shawn.

"Is he ok like that? He won't hurt himself or anything, will he?" Vince asked.

Paul looked at Shawn's current sleeping position, which was on his stomach with his bad arm over the back of his head.

"He'll be fine as long as he doesn't sleep on it. What are you suggesting I do? Sleep _with_ him?" Paul asked, sarcastically.

Vince snapped his fingers at Paul.

"Now that's a good idea. You can keep him from getting hurt, and you can help him sweat out the fever. He'll be as good as new in no time," Vince paused to see Paul looking at him like he was crazy.

"When Shane was 12 years old he came down with the flu, or at least we thought it was the flu, and he had very high fevers for 4 days straight. I laid with him each night, and each morning the fever broke a little, then it would start up again. By the 4th night, Shane actually got so over heated that the fever went away... It was kind of funny... The idea sounds kind of funny, too, but it works." Vince told Paul and smiled.

Paul shrugged his shoulders.

"Couldn't hurt to try..." He stated and laid down next to Shawn.

Paul pulled the covers over himself and pulled Shawn closer to him. Shawn opened his eyes to see what was going on, and then started to squirm.

"Shawn, relax, it's me, Paul... You're ok..." Paul whispered.

Shawn closed his eyes and went right back to sleep with his head resting on Paul's shoulder. Paul couldn't help but to notice how nervous Shawn was when he felt that he was being pulled somewhere... And he was shaking a little. Vince also saw this and nodded his head in disbelief.

"Oh, Christ, what did he do to you..?" Vince muttered to himself.

* * *

_Shawn almost cried at the very movement of opening his eyes. His head was pounding and his body was throbbing. All he really remembered was watching as a lead pipe came crashing down on his head._

Why am I so cold?

_He looked around and saw he was still in the same room as before. Shawn looked down and saw that he was still dressed. He slowly willed himself to roll onto his back._

Oh... The window is open...

_Shawn sighed and realized all he was able to do was wait..._

For only God knows what...

_Shawn slightly smiled as he remembered meeting Robin, Jamie's fiancé. She was so kind, and she even reminded Shawn of Rebecca. It was nice to meet somebody who deeply cares about you when you need it the most. Robin came to his rescue, although Jamie didn't know it. She snuck in whenever Jamie would leave for work. She gave him the will to keep going instead of giving up, even though the odds were in favor of him just giving up and letting go of his life._

_She was the only person he was able to talk to during all of this, except for himself._

God, they'll stick me in a rubber room if I admit to that...

_Shawn smiled at his odd sense of humor, especially at a time like this, and closed his eyes. He started humming to himself, just like he used to do with Cameron and Cheyenne, and slowly drifted off to sleep._

_

* * *

_

Paul was suddenly jerked awake by Shawn's sudden movement. He started to turn his head back and forth, then the rest of his body started to move around. He went to swing his bad arm at Paul, but Paul cautiously caught it and pinned it down.

"Shhhh... Shawn, it's me. It's Paul. You're safe, relax... You're safe. Nobody is going to hurt you... Except for me if you hit me in the nuts, but that's a different story..." Paul stated.

Shawn's movement slowed and eventually stopped. He rested his head on Paul's shoulder again and slightly chuckled.

"Hit you in the nuts..." He whispered, then drifted off back to sleep.

Steve and Shane walked back into the hotel room to see Vince and Paul watching a football game, and Paul was...

"Whoa! What the hell is going on here?" Shane asked, sarcastically.

Steve smiled and nodded his head at Shane's stupidity. It never ceased to amaze him.

"Aw, knock it off, Shane... It's about time Paul came out of the closet... Congratulations, Paul!" Steve stated, deciding to go along with Shane's joke.

Paul smirked at the two and scoffed.

"You two are morons. Vince told me to lay here to help Shawn sweat out his fever. Not working well at the moment, but it's bound to happen..." Paul replied.

"Oh. Ok. Well... What are you watching, dad?" Shane asked.

Vince pointed to the TV.

"Whatever shitty football game that's currently on TV... That's what I'm watching..." Vince replied.

Steve chuckled and looked at the teams. He frowned.

"Damn these teams suck! Change the damn channel!" Steve shouted.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Paul hushed them.

"Sorry... Forgot about the ill Sleeping Beauty..," Steve paused.

Vince flipped through the channels, and eventually landed on HBO, which was currently broadcasting _The Chase_.

"This good enough? There's nothing else on, unless you want to watch cooking shows..." Vince sarcastically told him.

Steve growled, and if it weren't for the stern look Paul was giving him, he would've shouted back at Vince.

"Yeah, it's fine..." Steve stated and took a seat on the vacant bed.

"You gave up that one pretty quick." Shane whispered to him, taking a seat next to him on the bed.

Steve only nodded his head in response. For the rest of the afternoon, Vince, Shane, Steve and Paul sat in silence and watched the movie.

* * *

_Shawn felt something other than pain... It was heat._

What the hell?

_Shawn slowly opened his eyes. Robin was looking back down at him. _

_"You're awake... Oh thank God... I thought you were dead!" Robin told him. _

_Shawn weakly smiled at her and the innocence of her words. _

_"Why would you think that?" He asked her. _

_He watched as she wrung out the wash cloth, then proceeded to move it over Shawn's forehead._

_"When I came in here, you were ice cold, bleeding and deathly still. Not to mention, you were barely breathing and your pupils weren't dilating." She explained. _

_Shawn sighed as he processed everything she just told him. That sounded like death. _

_"Oh... Well that makes sense." He replied._

_Robin smiled at him. _

_"You're obviously better now... I mean, you're alive. You're still breathing. That's a good thing, right?" She asked him. _

_Shawn sighed. He hated to be frank with people, but the situation really called for him to be frank with Robin. _

_"Alive, only to be killed another day. Robin, this isn't going to last long. It'll last for however long Jamie wants it to last, as long as he's careful with how he hurts me. His fun will come to an end when I die, or he gets caught." Shawn told her._

_Robin sighed and looked at the ground. _

_"I'm sorry, Shawn... I'm trying to get you help... Just face it, there's probably nobody out there who will believe me about this... I mean, come on... If you called the cops and told them you had found a kidnapped Pamela Anderson in your house, do you think people would believe you?" She asked him. _

_Shawn chuckled at her. _

_"Who said I would report that I had found a kidnapped Pamela Anderson in my house? I just might keep her to myself," Shawn chuckled again, then sighed. _

_He tried to move his left arm, but it didn't work out so well. He looked at it to see it wasn't even tied. He had no strength whatsoever. _

_"On a second note, keep trying."_

_Once again, Robin sighed at Shawn. She wet the rag and wrung it out, then gently placed it on Shawn's right arm. Shawn hissed and bit down hard on his lip, making blood flow from it. Robin saw this and wiped the blood away. _

_"Calm down, Shawn... I promise I'll get you help..." She told him. _

_She took the rag off of his arm and observed it. _

_"Broken?" Shawn asked her._

_"Most definitely... But then again, I didn't go to medical school. So I could be wrong..," Robin replied with a sigh. _

_Shawn sighed and cleared his throat. He went to speak, but his voice broke. He almost burst into tears, but caught himself. Robin saw Shawn's now green eyes fill with tears and how hard Shawn fought to keep himself from crying. He didn't want to break down, because then Jamie would know that he won._

_"Shawn?" Robin asked, concerned. _

_She hated seeing people cry, even if they just had tears in their eyes. It drove her crazy. _

_"Yeah?" Shawn asked, finally regaining himself, and his voice. _

_"Are you okay?" She asked him. _

_"I want this to be over." Shawn replied. _

_His eyes suddenly filled with tears again. He fought to keep himself from crying._

_"I know, Shawn... I know... Just... Please, don't cry..." She told him. _

_Shawn exhaled deeply. He blinked away his tears. _

_"I won't... Whatever it is Jamie wants to do... I just want him to do it already so this will all be over..," Shawn told her. _

_He looked at Robin._ _Robin tried to blink away tears of her own, but Shawn was looking at her. She put her hands over her face. _

_"Robin?" Shawn asked her. _

_"Nothing, Shawn... It's nothing…" Robin replied. _

_Robin took her hands away from her face to see the concerned look on Shawn's face as he stared at her. _

_"Tell me." He softly told her. _

_Robin sniffled. _

_"Shawn... When I came in here you were in nothing but boxers and boots... And you were handcuffed."_

_She watched as Shawn's eyes widened._

_"What?" He shouted._

_Robin sobbed and immediately regretted telling Shawn that. But it was the truth, and he deserved to know. _

_"It's true, Shawn... It's true, and I'm sorry for being the one to have to tell you that..." Robin told him, stroking his head, trying anything to keep him calm._

_"Does... Do you think... He... He..?" Shawn couldn't even finish his own question. _

_His mind was racing and his thoughts were jumbled in his mind. He didn't know what he wanted to say or think, let alone feel. Robin sobbed, because she knew what effect this could have on him, and it wasn't a very good one. _

_"Oh, Shawn... I'm so sorry..." Robin fell forward and hugged Shawn. _

_She rocked him gently in her arms._

_

* * *

_

Paul took his eyes away from the news to look down at Shawn. He seemed to be having a bad dream again, but there was nothing he could really do about it. Paul sighed and pulled Shawn closer to him, then pulled the blankets up higher. Shawn snuggled Paul like a teddy bear, making Paul laugh. Vince looked over at the two, being careful not to wake a sleeping Shane.

"What is it?" Vince asked.

Paul looked over at Vince.

"I think it's those damn fever dreams. I pulled him closer to me, and now he thinks I'm a teddy bear..." Paul replied.

"Better a teddy bear then a barf bag." Steve stated, mostly out of nowhere.

Paul chuckled.

"Very, very true. I'd choose being a teddy bear _any_ day then being a barf bag. That doesn't sound like any fun," Paul stopped talking once Shawn's right arm seemed to tense up for no reason.

His muscles seemed to have little spasms for a little while, then stopped. His grip around Shawn's body tightened, reassuring the man everything was ok. Shawn exhaled deeply, and his right arm went limp once again.

"I wish I could take away everything that happened to him." Paul stated, almost out of nowhere.

Vince looked over at Paul again, only to sigh and look back at the TV.

"Paul... Something is telling me that Shawn will _never_ say _everything_ that happened to him while he was there. You heard what happened in the video Robin got for us... Shawn didn't say anything about that, now, did he?" Vince asked.

Paul nodded his head no, pulling Shawn a little closer to him.

"No. He'll open up to me eventually, he always does. The problem is, he doesn't want to burden me with his feelings and his problems..." Paul turned to see that Vince had drifted off to sleep.

Paul sighed.

_He'll open up to me... I know he will..._

_

* * *

_

_Now Shawn knew it was true... He knew it with all his heart. Either Jamie was homosexual, or he was bisexual. Either way, he knew what Robin had told him was true. Shawn wrenched his eyes closed and tried to get that horrid image out of his head, but to no avail._

That asshole was on top of me

_He always remembered Vince saying something about the unconscious remembering things, and he had learned that in his Psychology class when he took it in college. It was Sigmund Freud's theory._

That fucker dared to kiss me

_Shawn tried to fight off the memory... He fought with it so hard that his head hurt._

He... He... Touched me.

_Shawn put his left hand over his eyes, then let it roll onto his forehead._

That shit face...

_No, Shawn had to forget._

What will Becky think?

_The very thought of telling his wife and watching her reaction made Shawn want to cry._

No! I'm a soldier, I can't be broken.

_But how much could one man take?_

_"Becky... Paul... I need you..."_

_Shawn sighed and wept like a baby._

_

* * *

_

_Crying..? Is somebody crying?_

Paul opened his eyes and looked around. He had fallen asleep... _Again_. He saw the sun was shining through the curtains a little. He checked his watch. 6:30 am. Everybody still seemed to be asleep, including the sick man who was currently snuggling up next to him. Paul began to rub Shawn's back, being the man was lying on his stomach with his head on Paul's chest and his right arm over Paul's abdomen. Shawn suddenly sniffled, so Paul looked down at his face the best he could without making any sudden movement. He didn't want to wake Shawn up. Paul suddenly heard movement and then footsteps. It was Shane. Shane walked over to Paul.

"What's the matter?" Shane asked.

It was good that Shane didn't worry about himself, but he must've had ears like a cat! Unless Paul did make a movement... Ah, who knows?

"How'd you know something was wrong?" Paul asked.

Shane shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I dunno, really. Probably just a type of instinct. I thought I heard somebody crying, too." Shane replied with a smile.

Paul smiled back. Shane was smarter than people gave him credit for.

"I think Shawn is... Or was crying. I can't see his face from here, and I don't want to move and risk waking him up. Could you check for me?" Paul asked.

Shane nodded his head and stood up, then walked to the other side of the bed and looked at Shawn. Paul was watching him, Shane knew it, but he couldn't help but to put a heartbroken look on his face.

"What?" Paul asked.

Shane looked over at Paul.

"He was crying, I can see the tears..," Shane paused and stood frozen in his place.

Shawn's eyes fluttered open and looked at him, but didn't seem to notice him. Shawn turned his head so that he was facing Paul, as well as using his chest as a pillow.

"Looked like he was crying for a few minutes, and that was a close call... I thought he was going to say something to me." Shane stated with a smile.

Paul smiled back, then lowered his head a little and kissed Shawn's forehead.

"Nobody is going to ever hurt this man again." Paul announced, and held Shawn even tighter.

Shawn didn't even acknowledge this; he was dead to the world at this time. He just snuggled up closer to Paul. Shane smiled. He patted Paul on the shoulder carefully enough not to wake Shawn up.

"You watch over him, then... You're his guardian angel." Shane told Paul and then walked back to his bed.

_Guardian angel...?_

_

* * *

_

_All Shawn saw was light._

Where am I?

_Shawn opened his eyes, and once again, wasn't able to see anything but light._

Am I dead?

_Once everything began to clear, Shawn looked down at the ground. He saw himself, lying there, beaten and broken. He knelt down to take a better look at himself. He was still bleeding, which was odd. He was ice cold... Deathly cold... And pale. He knew it._

Oh my God... I'm dead...

_Shawn looked to the side and saw the very object. The object that happened to be his very last memory in the world of the living, and that was a hammer. He closed his eyes and remembered watching it, almost in slow motion, as it was practically thrown onto his chest, right above his heart. He gulped and remembered everything slowly going numb, every sense failing him, and his heart suddenly stopping._

You tried, Shawn... You tried...

_Shawn sighed and looked away from his body. He saw Robin crying hysterically on the other side of the room. He stood up and walked over to her. _

_"Oh Shawn... Why didn't I listen," She paused to sob. _

_Shawn took that moment to kneel down next to her. _

_"It's all my fault..." Robin put her head in her hands and kept crying. _

_Shawn nodded his head no at her. _

_"No it isn't. You loved your fiancé. What I told you was hard to take in. I don't blame you for what happened, and I never will. You tried your best, and he hurt you..." Shawn whispered soothingly to her. _

_It didn't work, she kept crying._

_Shawn sighed once again, stood up and walked out of the room and down the hall, just in time to hear the back door creep open slowly and close. He heard footsteps behind him, so he whirled around and saw Jamie had walked back into the room where Robin was. He had no time to go back to Robin, so he walked down the stairs to see Steve, Vince, Paul and Shane. He almost went nuts, and, if he weren't dead, he would've jumped on all of them._

Wait a minute... I'm dead... What are they going to do when they find out they got here too late?

_Shawn decided to follow Paul around, being he was more interested in seeing what was up with him. He noticed they all had weapons, and they split into teams. Shane and Paul went one way, and Steve and Vince went the other. As he kept hovering over Paul, Shawn noticed he grew more and more anxious. _

_"I really wanna go upstairs." Paul complained. _

_Shane turned to look at him. _

_"Be patient, Paul." He told him. _

_"I don't want to, Shane…" Paul's complaining continued. _

_"Fine then." Shane told him. _

_"Fuck you!" Paul shouted. _

_"Up yours!" Shane shouted back._

_Shawn smiled at the two. They always had an odd way of showing their love for one another. Shawn walked over to Paul and put a hand on his shoulder. He was shocked that Paul turned to look. Shawn decided to try his luck._

_"Hit him,"_

_Paul waited into Shane turned his back to him and began to walk away, then took out his gun. He snuck up behind Shane and hit him in the head with it. Shawn nearly jumped out of his skin. _

_"Oh my God!"_

_Paul caught Shane and slowly lowered him to the ground. _

_"Sorry, Shane-O... Can't have you ratting me out for going upstairs without everyone else... Hope I didn't hit you too hard... Take care, bro." Shawn watched as Paul stood up and slowly snuck up the stairs. _

_Shawn looked down at Shane. He signed and nodded his head in disgust, then went to go after Paul. Once upstairs, he stopped and saw that the door to the room closest to him suddenly slammed shut. That could only mean one thing..._

Jamie has Paul.

_Shawn ran back down the stairs. He saw Steve and Vince were now with Shane. _

_"Where's Paul?" Vince asked. _

_Steve got up from his position next to Shane and looked around. He walked back over to Vince. _

_"Ok... Are you gonna stay with Shane?" Steve asked. _

_Vince looked up at him and nodded his head. _

_"Why?" He asked. _

_"Well... Either two things happened... One, Payne came down here without us knowing, knocked Shane out and dragged Paul upstairs... Two, Paul got fed up with waiting and knocked Shane out…" Steve paused for a moment. _

_Shawn walked up behind Steve and put a hand on his shoulder. _

_"Paul's upstairs... He needs help. Please help him, Steve." He watched as Steve nodded his head._

Did he really hear me?

_"I'm gonna go upstairs and look around." Steve finally stated. _

_Vince nodded his head. _

_"Ok. Good luck, Steve." Vince sat on the ground and pulled Shane into his lap. _

_Shawn sat down next to him and exhaled deeply. He noticed Vince started to cry. _

_"Awww Vin Man... What's the matter?" Shawn asked him. _

_Vince sighed. _

_"I can't believe this is happening..."_

_Shawn couldn't help but to chuckle at that statement. _

_"Me neither…" He replied, still not quite sure if he was actually talking to Vince. _

_Vince sobbed. _

_"Please let Shawn be alright…" He stated. _

_"Your son doesn't matter to you?" Shawn asked. _

_"Shawn has always been like a second son to me... I love him to death... Please let him be alright..."_

_Shawn felt his heart ache. _

_"I'm dead, Vin Man." He paused to lower his head, but lifted it once he saw _

_Vince's right arm tense up. _

_"Who said that?" He demanded. _

_Shawn looked at him strangely. _

_"Said what?" Shawn asked. _

_"Who am I talking to?" Vince demanded again. _

_"Who else... But the 'head liner?' The 'showstopper?' The 'main event?' The 'icon?' The 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels?" Shawn asked, somewhat sarcastically. _

_"What? Shawn?" Vince asked, relief in his voice._

_"Yes?" Shawn asked. _

_Vince looked around. _

_"How come I can hear you?" He asked. _

_Shawn sighed. _

_"I dunno. Can you really, though? No joke?" Shawn asked. _

_"No, no joke. I can really hear you. Your voice is as clear as a bell. Where are you, anyway? I can hear you but I can't see you." Vince stated._

_Shawn sighed. His heart continued to ache, and he knew the pain was only going to get worse. _

_"I'm sitting right next to you, Vin Man." Shawn stated. _

_Vince looked around again. His eyes finally settled on Shawn, but he saw nothing. _

_"No you aren't... Come on, Shawn. Stop playing games with me. I haven't seen you in a little over a month... I want to give you a big hug! Now, tell me where you are!" Vince shouted, sounding happy. _

_Shawn felt his eyes fill with tears but was able to fight them off. _

_"I'm not playing any games with you. I'm dead, Vin Man." _

_Vince started to cry again. _

_"What?"_

_Shawn closed his eyes tight and tried to get anything other than this poor heartbroken man in his mind. He opened them and couldn't help but to want to comfort Vince in any way possible. _

_"Jamie got to me before you could." Shawn told him. _

_He watched as Vince suddenly nodded his head in disbelief. _

_"Oh no... Oh no…" Vince sobbed. _

_"I'm sorry, Vince." Shawn stated. _

_Vince nodded his head no, trying to get rid of all his tears. _

_"No, Shawn... I failed you... I'm the one who should be sorry."_

_Shawn put his left hand on Vince's hand. He saw Vince look down at his hand wide eyed. Vince then turned his attention to Shawn. _

_"Can you see me?" Shawn asked. _

_Vince cried harder. _

_"Yes." He sobbed._

_Shawn gave a weak smile. _

_"How bad do I look? Be honest with me, Vin Man." Shawn told him. _

_Vince smiled at Shawn's sense of humor through the tears. _

_"You look... Great." Vince told him._

_Vince's comment caused Shawn to scoff. _

_"You mean... No cuts or bruises?" Shawn asked. _

_Vince nodded his head with a small smile on. _

_"No cuts or bruises." Vince repeated. _

_Shawn studied Vince's face and saw the love that Vince had for him in his eyes. He made a decision. _

_"Ah, Vin Man. I'm not going to give up without a fight." Shawn stated. _

_"What?" Vince shouted, following Shawn with his eyes._

_He got ready to stand up. _

_"I'm gonna fight the big man upstairs for some extra time." Shawn told Vince. _

_Vince grabbed a hold of Shawn's hand. _

_"No... You're at peace... Please leave it that way, Shawn... If you come back, you'll be faced with horrible memories and never ending pain..." Vince sobbed. _

_Shawn nodded his head no at Vince. _

_"No. I don't care about that. I owe it to you guys," Shawn stood up and turned his back to Vince, then suddenly stopped and turned to look at him again._

_"In case something... Happens... I love you guys, never forget that." Shawn told Vince, who started crying again._

_"We love you too, Shawn!"_

_Shawn was once again engulfed in pain._

_"Shawn..? Buddy, can you hear me?"_

It's Paul! I'm alive! Well... Kinda...

_The very thought of everything finally being over made him want to cry... And he did._

_A few moments went by before he was in an ambulance. He felt a gentle hand wipe the tears away. He opened his eyes and saw Paul. Had it been so long that he seriously forgotten what his touch felt like? _

_"You're going to be okay..." Paul whispered to him._

Not mentally... Not ever...

* * *

Vince and Shane were now awake and moving around. They started to get ready for the day. Vince walked over to Paul and tapped him on the shoulder, being careful not to wake Shawn up. Paul opened his eyes to look at Vince.

"Yeah?" He asked.

Vince smiled.

"The fever broke." Vince told him.

It took awhile for Paul to process what Vince had said in his clouded mind. His head was pounding a little from constantly being woken up by the littlest movement Shawn made, and also the fact that half the time he would wake up just to see if Shawn was still there. He thought everything was a dream and Shawn was still with Jamie, but was surprised each time he woke up and felt Shawn's head on his chest. He looked over at Vince and smiled.

"That's great. Now I can get some meaningful sleep without waking up to check on him..." Paul groaned.

Vince smiled at him.

"Do whatever you want. Shane and I have to run some errands. Steve is still sleeping, so watch what you do." Vince told him.

"Don't worry about me making noise, Vince. Its Steve you should be worried about... The fever might have broken but I'm still worried about Shawn and I think he should get as much sleep as humanly possible." Paul stated.

"No worries, Paul." Steve sleepily stated, then grumbled and rolled over.

He obviously woke up because of a name mention. Vince chuckled at him.

"Come on, dad! Stop bull shitting... The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back and torture... I mean help Shawn and Paul." Shane stated with a cute little smile on his face.

Paul had the urge to either throw Shawn at him or get up and punch him. He figured he might hurt Shawn if he threw him at Shane, so he would've settled on punching him... IF Vince didn't agree and leave the room with Shane close behind.

_Oooooooh boy, if I ever get my hands on Shane..._

Paul chuckled to himself and scooted down in the bed a little lower. He placed his head against Shawn's and closed his eyes.

* * *

**A/N: I can't tell you guys how much I HATE fever dreams chapters! It takes such a long time to come up with things to happen, I was close to just skipping it altogether. But I realized I had already set up for it, and I didn't feel like changing the other chapter. Besides, it helped show Shawn's feelings and thoughts throughout the whole kidnapping ordeal. I was reading the story before, and I love how it sounds. I can just imagine everyone having the same reactions in real life. It's just... Cool! LOL**

**Oh, and thanks for being patient with me. It took me a little over 2 months, but I was so busy doing other things that I forgot all about my poor little Shawn. LOL.**

**Seems like 'Hold On' will be the next story in production. It had 3 votes, and 'Drafted!' had 2. 'Sins of the Mother' didn't have a single vote... I'm surprised. Maybe I described it wrong... Would it help if I told you that Shawn Michaels is the father? LOL. Oh, and in 'Hold On,' Shawn and Paul are the two brothers, but I altered their ages... BIG TIME... And made Shawn as innocent as anything. LOL. So... I hope you'll be patient with me through the rest of this story... And remember, there's a surprise alternate ending.** **AGH nuts I have to upload the first chapter to the alternate ending! RAWR!**

**Edit: The chapter's title comes from the song 'Time of Dying' by Three Days Grace.**


	19. No Need to Fear What You Can’t Avoid

Dark Reflections

Chapter 19

No Need to Fear What You Can't Avoid

Paul walked back over to Shawn's bed in the hotel room. Shawn had been unconscious since they brought him to the hotel on Saturday, and it was now Monday. Paul sighed and looked down at his friend, then put a hand on his forehead. No fever.

'_Well I guess that's a good thing..._' Paul thought to himself.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the time. If Shawn was planning on going to Raw, they had better leave soon if they wanted to get there on time.

'_Great now I have to wake him up..._'

Paul turned to Shawn but stopped. He hated waking Shawn up. He loved watching him sleep. Shawn always looked innocent when he slept, no matter how much of a snot he was. Paul sighed and decided if he wanted Shawn awake, he was going to have to take action. He shook Shawn lightly.

"Come on, buddy. Time to wake up."

Shawn opened an eye to look at Paul. He groaned, then tried to push himself up into a sitting position with his good arm. Paul caught him before he would've fallen. Shawn gave him a weak smile, still trying to wake up from a two day sleep.

"Arm's still asleep..." He whispered.

Paul smiled back at him and helped him up.

"Need help getting dressed?" Paul asked.

Once Shawn was standing and felt that he could do so without hanging onto Paul, he let go of the grip he had on the man's shoulder. Shawn nodded his head no.

"I think I might need help with my shirt, but that's about it..."

Paul chuckled at Shawn. Shawn had never broken his whole arm before. The closest he ever came to breaking his arm was pulling a muscle in his elbow at SummerSlam earlier in the year, and breaking his hand back in 1997. It was going to take awhile for him to get used to it. Paul sighed and thought back to when he first saw Shawn lying in the hospital bed after they found him. He looked so pale and miserable. Paul was also able to tell that Shawn wasn't too pleased with having to wear a sling. He was already showing discomfort with it and looked as if he wanted to have a Hulk Hogan moment and tear it off.

While Paul was in la-la land, Shawn stumbled into the bathroom to change his clothes the best he could. He closed and locked the door behind him, then chuckled evilly to himself and took the sling off his right arm. He tossed it to the side and started to move his arm around, trying to get the feeling back. He smiled once he realized that his arm wasn't even in a cast, just ace bandages; wrapped probably as tight as humanly possible, on his wrist, elbow and shoulder. He completed the task of changing his jeans, socks and boxers with no problem.

'_Good thing I'm not top heavy... I'd hate to fall on my face right now...'_ Shawn thought and used his left hand to slowly take his shirt off.

He sighed once he realized he wasn't going to be able to put a shirt on, or tie his boots for that matter, so he grabbed the sling and put it around his neck, grabbed his dirty clothes and unlocked the door, then walked out.

Paul was still standing there, staring into space. Shawn chuckled and put his clothes in the corner by what looked to be his suitcase. He hadn't seen his suitcase in nearly a month and a half, so he had no idea what it looked like anymore. He grabbed the D-X shirt Paul had left out for him and walked over to the man. He poked Paul on the shoulder and waited for him to turn around. Shawn eventually grew tired of waiting for Paul to turn around, or at least reply to the poke. He decided to tap him. Maybe that will have a different effect on him. Shawn once again found himself waiting, so he walked around Paul to be face to face with the man. He saw Paul was crying.

"What's wrong, Paul?" He asked.

Paul suddenly jerked out of his trance and looked at Shawn. He wiped his face dry.

"Huh? What? Oh... Nothing's wrong, Shawn. How'd you get changed so fast?" Paul asked.

Shawn smiled at Paul.

"I'm not as immobilized as you think, Paul. I can still move my limbs, ya know.. Not everything is broken." Shawn joked.

He held up the shirt for Paul to see.

"Ah. Need help with your shirt? I'll do it." Paul stated and took the shirt away from Shawn.

Paul enclosed the space between the two in order to help Shawn get the shirt on. The two were so close Shawn winced at the feel of Paul's breath on his face. He knew Paul wasn't Jamie and he would never do anything like Jamie did, however he couldn't help but to shake a little. If he was freaking out and flashing back to what Jamie did to him simply by Paul helping him get his shirt on, he wondered what was going to happen when he was medically cleared and wanted to step back into the ring.

Paul stepped back and smiled at Shawn once the task was completed. The smile suddenly dimmed and turned into a concerned face.

"Why were you shaking?" Paul asked.

Shawn sighed and looked away from him. He tried to make up a story in his head, anything to not tell the truth about why he was shaking. He didn't want to torture Paul with that information... He figured it would be a good idea if nobody knew about it.

"I got a chill... That's all..," Shawn replied and half smiled.

Paul returned the gesture but couldn't help to feel upset. He lowered his head in his hands. He silently sobbed as Shawn watched on. He knew what the problem was.

"It's not your fault." Paul's head shot up to look at Shawn.

"I know... I know..."

Shawn nodded his head, not fully convinced that Paul was ok.

"Then why are you crying?" Shawn asked.

He didn't mean to pester but he couldn't help himself. He had to let Paul know that he didn't do anything wrong. Paul backed away from Shawn a little more and wiped his face dry.

"I just feel bad about all of this..." Paul replied.

Shawn smirked and nodded his head a little.

"Well you didn't cause it, just so you know." Shawn told him.

He stared at Paul and waited for an answer. Paul looked at Shawn sullenly.

"In a way I did." He told Shawn as his eyes once again filled with tears.

"No you didn't." Shawn replied.

He wasn't going to let Paul win this one, especially since he was wrong to begin with.

"Yes I..," Paul started.

No. Shawn wasn't going to let him continue. He couldn't.

"Paul?" Shawn asked and waited for Paul to answer.

"Yes?" Paul asked.

"Shut up!" Shawn shouted back.

Paul looked at Shawn like he was crazy. He saw that Shawn was really pissed off.

"I'm sorry, Shawn." Paul told him.

Shawn sighed and once again half smiled at Paul.

"It's ok, buddy..." Shawn replied.

He didn't really like to see his friends and loved ones cry... Then again, Shawn didn't like to see anyone cry. He always thought crying was pathetic, but completely necessary when the time was right. However, there were certain times when people shouldn't cry, and this was one of them... In Shawn's mind, anyway.

"It's just that..." Paul started.

Shawn looked at him again, that certain look that would make even Vince McMahon stop talking.

"No, Paul..,"

Not only did the look make Paul stop talking; the statement was just as powerful.

"You listen to me now, buddy... It's my turn to talk." Shawn stated.

Paul exhaled deeply, his voice quivered due to his sobbing and the fact he was weeping like a baby not so long ago.

"Ok," Paul smiled and stated, almost out of nowhere. "The floor is all yours, Shawny." Paul told his best friend of nearly 12 years.

Shawn smiled, saying 'thank you' with the warm gesture.

"Listen... I know you think this whole ordeal was your fault, but it isn't. I will never EVER blame you for what happened, simply because you did nothing to cause it. You're as innocent as I was. I don't want you to think about how things would've been different, especially if you were taken rather than me... Because you're right, things would've been different. I'd be without my best friend... Stephanie would be a widow and Aurora would be fatherless…" Shawn stated.

Paul nodded his head no. He had to intercept.

"Oh come on now, Shawn. You don't know that for a fact..." Paul was cut off by Shawn.

"Yes I do, Paul," Shawn paused to look Paul right in the eyes. "Jamie told me right to my face with a sick twisted smile plastered on his,"

Paul fell silent. He suddenly lost the will to argue against Shawn's word.

"There are some things I'm never going to mention... Because it hurts me to think about it. If you have questions, I'll answer them, but only if it doesn't bother me."

Paul acknowledged Shawn's weak smile and nodded his head. He decided to take Shawn's word and think about a question.

"I got one." Paul stated, almost out of nowhere.

Shawn nodded his head.

"Let's have it, then." He replied.

"How'd he break your arm so bad?"

Shawn chuckled; somehow he knew that was going to be the first question Paul had for him.

"He broke my wrist first... It was the Friday after he grabbed me from the arena. Well... He tackled me off the bed and I fell on it wrong. So, he grabbed my arm, twisted my wrist and put his weight down on it. Not so long after that, he went to hit me in the head with a 4x4, but my dumb ass put my right arm up protectively. He broke the 4x4 in half over my forearm and my elbow. That plus twisting my arm, stomping on it and beating me down with weapons did it..."

Paul once again looked like he wanted to cry.

"And... The day we found you... How'd he beat you down? Robin said he had a knife."

Shawn once again chuckled.

"Well... I don't really remember..," Shawn paused for a moment. "Oh yeah... Jamie had a knife. He was running around screaming about some stupid ass video or something along those lines, that aired on Raw. So, I pulled myself up and gave him some Sweet Chin Music,"

Paul smiled at Shawn through the tears.

"And that knocked him out for like... A minute... What I didn't know was that I was gonna get a bad beating, and the superkick only pissed him off more. Jamie got up and just lashed out at me, cutting me here and there. He eventually got a hammer and started beating me with that. The last thing I remember is watching as the hammer was viciously dropped on my chest... Better yet... On my heart."

Paul's eyes narrowed, then he gasped in horror.

"Then what?" He asked and patiently awaited an answer.

"Well... I woke up... And... I saw myself," Shawn responded, not really sure Paul would believe him.

"What?" Paul asked.

Shawn chuckled. How did he know?

"Paul, I was dead for a few minutes."

Shawn figured he wasn't going to get a response from Paul, but he was wrong. Paul snorted at Shawn.

"Yeah? And I'm Tinkerbell." Paul replied.

Shawn wanted to laugh at his best friend's statement but was able to hide it.

"I'm serious, Paul. And I can prove it to you."

"Oooh. I'm intrigued. Please, continue..." Paul told Shawn, completely unconvinced.

Shawn smiled at him.

"I'm the one who told you to hit Shane."

Paul thought back to that particular moment in Austin Payne's house in Fremont, Ohio. The smile he had on his face quickly faded as he remembered hearing a voice telling Paul to 'hit him.'

"Oh my God..." Paul stared at Shawn in shock.

Shawn flashed him a cheap smile in return.

"Told you. And I had a chat with Vin Man too."

"Oh yeah?" Paul asked, the smile returning to his face.

"Yeah. And I told Steve that you needed his help when Jamie caught you." Paul's smile got bigger.

"Awwwh... My guardian angel." Shawn nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, but I decided to come back to this world. Vince told me not too, that I would be haunted with memories, but I had too. If I didn't, I would be haunted by the fact that I abandoned my wife and my children, but more important, my friends. I didn't want you to feel that you let me down in some way."

Paul's smile quickly faded from his face.

"I did."

Shawn angrily nodded his head no.

"Enough of this. We can go back and forth with this forever, Paul. Let's go to the arena. I'm dying to shock everyone!" Shawn happily shouted.

The smile returned to Paul's face once he saw how happy Shawn was, and he was slightly shocked at Shawn's attitude towards everything, especially going back to a WWE arena.

"Hold on," Paul's voice made Shawn stop short and look at him.

Paul quickly put Shawn's boots on and tied them, then a leather jacket, a baseball cap and sunglasses.

"Better." Paul stated once he stepped away from Shawn, who smiled.

"As if my hair and pale complexion didn't disguise me enough... Now nobody is going to recognize me!" Shawn shouted, somewhat sarcastically.

Paul once again smiled at Shawn.

"Oh stop whining you pain in the ass…" He stated, making Shawn smirk at him.

"But I'm your favorite pain in the ass." Shawn teased.

Paul laughed at him.

"Oh yes, you are. I missed you, Shawn."

Shawn smiled.

"Missed you too, Paul." Shawn replied, kind of wondering when the conversation would end and when he and Paul were going to go to the arena.

"Love you." Paul finally stated, after an awkward silence between the two.

"Yeah... Love you too, Paul... Wait why am I sounding gay!"

Paul laughed.

"The politically correct term for 'gay' is actually…" Paul was interrupted by Shawn.

"SHUT UP ALREADY! Damn, I wanna get out of here! Can we PLEASE go to the arena now?" Shawn shouted.

Paul sighed, then smiled.

"Of course we can. Let's go." Paul stated and grabbed his car keys.

The two left the hotel room and headed to the 'World's Most Famous Arena,' Madison Square Garden.

* * *

Arena

Paul and Shawn crashed into Vince's locker room. Paul quickly closed and locked the door behind them.

"Damn, I can't believe nobody recognized you!" Paul shouted.

Shawn smiled at the statement.

"That's a good thing, though. All the more people to surprise when I pop out of nowhere." Shawn replied, making Paul smirked.

"Yeah, I guess you're right... Besides, we have to talk to Vince and some of the guys from the Creative Team, maybe Stephy and Shane, about how you're going to reveal yourself to everyone." Paul stated.

Shawn paused to tap his chin. Paul knew he was thinking, but he couldn't help but to realize how stupid he looked in doing so. Shawn suddenly snapped his fingers at Paul, making Paul snap out of his daydream as well.

"Maybe we could do something like when Shane revealed the 'Higher Power' or some shit like that... Or maybe I could go out there in riot gear again." Shawn happily stated.

"I remember that! It was hilarious! I can't believe you made fun of yourself!" Paul shouted and laughed out loud, making Shawn smile again.

"'Who's that stud officer number 2? Is that a nightstick in your pants or are you just happy to see me?'" Shawn recited his lines like it was yesterday, making Paul laugh even harder.

"I'm surprised you remember that! That was a long time ago, you know... By the way, how did you remember all of that?" Paul asked, making Shawn smile again.

Paul was happy that he was able to make Shawn smile a lot, especially with the way he was acting for a few days in the hospital after they found him.

"I had a lot of time to think about the past, and that specific night kept popping into my brain... Maybe as a sign for this very night... Ah, who knows?"

Paul chuckled.

"I certainly don't."

The door suddenly opened, and in came Vince McMahon. He was looking down at the floor, and he wasn't looking too happy. He was holding a large tan envelope in his hand which read 'Hickenbottom, Michael S. A.K.A. Shawn Michaels.' He suddenly looked up, probably getting the feeling that he wasn't alone in his locker room. His eyes landed on Paul first, and then traveled to the super disguised Shawn Michaels. Vince put pointed at Shawn.

"Who the hell is that?" He asked, making Paul smirk.

"Oh don't be mad, Vinnie Mac."

Vince turned to look at the "stranger" again. Shawn smirked at himself and suddenly started to dance. He took off the jacket, then the hat and finally the sunglasses. Paul was whooping while Shawn did this.

"Vince! Do you have a $20? He might be expensive!" Paul shouted.

Shawn laughed at him and punched Paul in the arm. He looked at Vince, and his smile faded when he saw how upset Vince was. He dropped the envelope then walked over to Shawn and hugged him tight. Emotions ran high.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Vince sobbed.

"Me too, Vin Man." Shawn replied.

"And don't forget what happened back at the house..," Shawn pulled back from Vince and studied his face, trying to remember what Vince meant.

He soon realized Vince was referring to the conversation the two had in Jamie's house in Fremont.

"I won't ever forget that." Vince stated.

Shawn sighed at Vince's statement.

"Me neither… And I told Paul about it... 'Cause I'm kinda guilty of telling him to hit Shane..."

Vince looked at Shawn and narrowed his eyes.

"WHAT?" He shouted.

Shawn chuckled and smirked.

"Yeah... It's true, I admit. I told Paul to hit Shane. But I didn't know that he could hear me, so I was just testing my vocal cords, so to speak. If it makes you feel better, I told Steve that Paul needed his help upstairs... When Jamie had Paul trapped and was about to kill him."

Vince nodded his head. He remembered Steve mumbling something about being told to go upstairs and help Paul by somebody who wasn't even there. Vince exhaled deeply and looked at Shawn.

"So... How do you want to return? Did you think of anything yet?" Vince asked.

Shawn sighed, and then smiled.

"Well... I was thinking about the lovely incident with the riot gear back in the day..."

Shawn's statement made Vince smile.

"Oh no…" He started.

Shawn nodded his head with a huge smile of his own.

"Oh yes. I wanna do it again." Shawn replied.

Vince nodded his head.

"Ok then... I'll get Shane and Steve, maybe they can add some ideas and we can all come up with something creative," Vince stated and turned to leave.

"Oooooh! Get Stephanie too!" Paul shouted, mostly from out of nowhere.

Vince looked back at him.

"Alright." He told Paul, and walked out of the office.

Paul and Shawn turned to look at each other; both had huge smiles on their faces.

"I'm getting giddy!" Shawn shouted to Paul.

"Me too," Paul shouted back.

"I can't wait!" Shawn told him.

"Me neither!"

The two members of D-Generation X slapped high fives. Vince walked back into the office with Shane, Steve and Stephanie close behind him. Stephanie gasped when she saw Shawn. Steve and Shane smiled, their eyes filling with tears. The three walked over to Shawn.

"Glad to see you standin' son." Steve told Shawn and hugged him.

Shawn smiled weakly at him.

"Thanks, Steve... It's good to be standing, actually." Shawn replied and looked over at Shane.

"Hey there fellow Blondie," Shane stated.

Shawn looked at Shane's hair and bursted out laughing; nobody had told him about Shane's hair. Once he stopped laughing, he looked back at Shane.

"Glad to have you back, Shawn." Shane stated and gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Shane. Good to be back,"

Once the two separated, Shawn turned to look at Stephanie. She had tears in her eyes and looked like she was about to start crying at any moment. She closed the gap between them and hugged him. They held on tight to one another, completely forgetting there was anyone else in the room. After all, Shawn was like a brother to her, and he was also Paul's best friend. Paul happened to be married to Stephanie, so the bond between Shawn and Stephanie only grew stronger over time.

"I love you, Princess. Stop your crying."

Shawn pulled away from the hug and wiped the tears from her face. She smiled at him, and then hugged him again.

"I missed you SO much!" She told him.

"I missed you too, Steph." The two separated once again.

"Ok," Everyone turned to look at Vince. "Now we can talk about how Shawn will reveal himself to the fans! His official return!" Vince shouted happily.

"Oh Vin Man, you're getting giddy!"

Vince turned to glare at Shawn, then smiled at him.

"I know... And I don't care. I'm really happy about this." Shawn returned the gesture to Vince.

"Me, too."

"So... Shawn was thinking that he should dress in riot gear…" Paul stated.

Steve snapped his fingers at Paul, freaking him out and making him stop talking.

"Like back in 1999... Was it 1999?" Steve asked.

Paul groaned.

"I have no idea, and I don't care..." He stated.

Shane nodded his head.

"Ok... So if you're going to do what you did back then, you need to get really into your dance. How's your back, hips, knees and arms?" Shane asked Shawn.

"All still attached to me, thank you." Shawn sarcastically replied, grinning at the groan Shane made.

"You know what I mean, dammit..." Shane growled at him.

"Yes, I do. Nothing is hurting too bad." Shawn replied.

Vince scoffed at Shawn, making him turn to look at him.

"What about your arm?" Vince asked, nudging at Shawn's right arm.

Shawn growled, realizing Vince was referring to the sling.

"Well," Shawn paused to take the sling off and toss it on the floor. "Problem solved." Shawn declared happily.

Paul started to freak out, making everyone look at him strangely.

"Shawn! You can... Well, you know damn well what you can do to your arm..." Shawn's smirk made Paul stop talking.

"Paul... Paul... It's ok. Relax. I've been using the sling for 6 days. I'm starting to get sick of it. You should know by now I'm very impatient. I don't need it if my arm isn't hurting, Paul." Shawn told him.

"You're stubborn!" Paul replied angrily and crossed his arms over his chest, signaling his defeat.

"I know, and I'm damn proud." Shawn told him with a smile.

Vince smiled and rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"Jesus you two sound like a married old couple... Anyways... Ok, so the riot gear it is." Vince stated happily.

"How are we going to incorporate having Shawn in riot gear?" Shane asked.

"We can say there was a threat on the Corporation of D-Generation…" Shawn decided to cut Stephanie off.

"Hey, I like the sound of that," Shawn exclaimed.

Stephanie glared at him. He replied by smiling innocently.

"Sorry Princess..."

Like it or not, she couldn't stay mad at him.

"It's ok, Shawn..."

"Ok... If Shawn is out there in riot gear and we have a good enough reason to have him in that outfit, I want Steve to be out there with him." Vince stated, making Steve look at him in shock.

"WHAT?" Steve shouted.

"You're making your return tonight." Vince told him.

"OH! I got it!" Paul shouted.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"You're such a blonde..." Shane stated, making Shawn giggle.

"You should talk there, Shane-O..." He mumbled.

"We can have some WWE guys... Superstars, I mean... Revolt against the Corporation of D-Generation and form a Union or something... Like that situation way back when... Anyways, they can go and attack us, but then our 2 studs in riot gear can step forward and reveal themselves... Of course, we'll be the faces and the Union guys will be the heels." Paul brain stormed out loud.

"Oooooh! Nice thinking!" Shawn told him.

Paul nodded as in saying 'thank you' with the gesture.

"The only problem I have with that..." Shane was cut off by Vince.

"I know what you're about to say. Just grab the biggest heels you can think of to go against us."

"Ok then. Umaga, Orton, Edge, Big Show…" Shane was once again cut off by Vince.

"Four is enough... Well, it's good for now... Good thinking, though. Now, call them up and tell them to come out during the opening segment while we're in the ring. Don't tell them what we're planning in here, but tell them to be super heel and yell at us for siding with Triple H and such... I think you get the idea." Vince told him.

Shane nodded his head.

"Yes, I do. I'll write a transcript for them really quick." Shane replied and got to work.

* * *

On the Air

While the Raw opening was playing, Steve and Shawn quickly got dressed in their riot gear. They lined up in front of Vince, Shane and Paul and waited until the Corporation of D-Generation's music was cued. Steve noticed Shawn was bouncing up and down impatiently.

"Son... Relax, you're going crazy." Steve told him.

Shawn turned to look at Steve.

"You honestly don't know how much this means to me." Shawn told him, then lowered his mask again and faced forward.

Steve chuckled at Shawn.

"I could imagine..."

Once everyone was in the ring, Vince, Shane and Paul grabbed mics from Lillian Garcia. Shawn and Steve stood off to the side so they wouldn't be in the way.

"Are you ready," Paul asked.

The audience roared in response. Steve looked over at Shawn, and, through the tinted face shield, knew there was a huge smile on Shawn's face. Paul nodded his head in disappointment.

"Hey! I thought this was New York City! I said... Are you ready," Paul asked once again.

The audience roared even louder than before, if that was even possible.

"That's better... Then, for the thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home... And... For Shawn Michaels... Who's always in our thoughts and prayers... Let's get ready to suck it!" Paul shouted.

"Thanks for getting the crowd warmed up, Triple H." Vince told him.

Paul shrugged his shoulders.

"Ah, it's what I do best, Vinnie Mac." He replied.

"Well... Getting straight down to business. Tonight on Raw there will be a..." Vince was cut off by the music of Rated RKO.

Randy Orton, Edge, Umaga, Lita and the Big Show appeared on stage. Randy and Edge had microphones.

"Mr. McMahon…" Randy began, but was cut off by Vince.

"You better have a DAMN good reason to interrupt me, Orton!" Vince shouted.

"Well... Ya see... Me and some of the guys are absolutely sick and tired of the... The... Corporation of D-Generation... I think it's ridiculous!" Randy shouted back.

Paul sighed and nodded his head in disappointment.

"Let's face it, Orton... Nobody gives a rat's ass about what you think... You're always complaining, Orton... First it was D-X and now it's the Corporation of D-Generation... When will you ever learn to just shut up and go with the flow of life?" Paul asked.

"Shut your mouth, Triple H! It's all your fault!" Edge was cut off by Paul.

"Oh great. Now it's my fault. What did I do now? Breathe in some of your air?" Paul asked sarcastically.

"The only reason why the stupid Corporation of D-Generation is here is because you couldn't protect Shawn Michaels!" Edge shouted, making the audience boo.

Shane narrowed his eyes. He didn't remember writing that down. He knew Paul was going to take it hard, too. Paul wanted to talk, but couldn't. His eyes filled with tears. Vince saw this and growled at Edge.

"What the hell did you just say?" Vince shouted.

"You heard me damn well, McMahon!" Edge shouted back.

Randy lowered his mic and turned to look at Edge, who lowered his mic as well.

"You fucking asshole! Why the fuck would you say that?" Randy shouted through gritted teeth.

"Hey, Shane said to act SUPER heel." Edge replied.

"Yeah, but not THAT heel... That was below the belt, Adam. Shane told you what to say, so say it already so we can see what he was hiding from us..." Randy stated.

Rated RKO turned back to face the ring and put the mic back to their lips.

"Sorry for the interruption. Randy and I decided to have a quick time out so we could decide what to do about this situation... So... We decided that we want to face Shane McMahon and Triple H... In a Street Fight... Later on tonight!" Edge shouted.

"Then why are Umaga and Big Show with you?" Shane asked.

"Oh... They're our resources. Just in case of anything... Cause Vince is always saying how good it is to be prepared for something, ya know?" Randy asked.

"Your asses still won't be safe!" Paul shouted angrily.

"Calm down..." Shawn whispered, but loud enough for Paul to hear him.

"How dare you talk to me like that? I should come up there right now and…" Paul was cut off by Shane.

"Oh hell no, Hunter! Don't give them the liberty of you walking up there! Their asses should come down here!" Shane shouted.

"You want a fight, McMahon? Huh? You're a tough guy all of a sudden? Fine! Let's go!" Randy shouted and tossed his mic down.

"And bring your fucking monkeys with you!" Paul yelled, referring to Umaga and the Big Show.

Rated RKO turned to look at Umaga and Big Show. The 4 headed about halfway to the ring before Stephanie McMahon's entrance music stopped them short. Stephanie came out on stage with a microphone in hand.

"Now... This is why I came out here... I wanted to prevent an unfair brawl. Rated RKO... If you want a match with my brother and my hus... Uh... Triple H... Then you can have one. But this brawl isn't going to..." Stephanie was cut off by the only member of Rated RKO with a mic.

"I don't care, Stephanie! Shut your damn mouth and let's get this over with!" Edge shouted.

"That," Rated RKO stopped short again and turned to look at Stephanie. "Is exactly why I stuck those police men in riot gear in the ring..? Let's find out who's behind those masks, shall we?" Stephanie asked.

"What could this possibly have to do with anything?" Edge shouted angrily.

"Officer Number 1," Stephanie started, completely ignoring Edge's comment. "Step forward. Let's see who's behind the mask,"

As soon as officer number 1, who was Steve, unclipped his helmet and started to take it off, the glass shattered. The fans chanted Steve's name as he took the helmet and the bullet proof vest off and tossed it to the side.

"Hey! That's 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin," Stephanie paused and waited for the audience to cool down before continuing. "Now... Officer number 2... Who could you possibly be?" She asked.

"Stephanie... I don't really see where you're going..." Vince never got to finish his statement.

Shawn had reached up to unclip the helmet, and then started to take it off. "Sexy Boy" was cued once the helmet cleared Shawn's nose, giving him a random burst of energy. He took the helmet and the bullet proof vest off to the beat of the music. The fans were in utter shock. They couldn't believe their eyes! A huge 'HBK' chant suddenly filled the arena.

Shawn was now standing in the middle of the ring. He was admiring the chant, and he was enjoying looking at everyone's expression. The only two people who looked smug, but still a bit surprised were Stephanie and Paul. Everyone else was shocked, including J.R and Jerry Lawler. He could imagine how loud the commentators were shouting into their headsets, and made a mental note to watch it back later on. Shawn pointed to the crowd with both hands and spun around a bit, letting them know he appreciated it. The audience only got louder.

Even Randy and Edge were shocked. They were trying to hide their emotions and look angry, but to no avail. They actually looked pretty happy. Well... More Randy than Edge. Shawn took Shane's mic away from him, but the crowd was still shouting. They were a little too happy about this, but Shawn couldn't blame them. Shawn smiled at the crowd and looked over at Paul.

"All right boys and girls," Shawn paused again. The audience continued to go crazy. "Relax, relax... Hush, hush! Come on, we have to continue," Shawn paused again.

He and Paul both gave the audience the signal to hush. While Shawn was motioning to the fans, he looked over at Randy. Randy mouthed 'welcome back' to him. Shawn nodded his head, acknowledging what Randy had mouthed to him. Once the noise died down, Shawn continued.

"I know I've been gone for awhile, but that doesn't matter... What better place to make a return then the 'World's Most Famous Arena,' Madison Square Garden," Shawn paused and listened to the reaction. "Well, the point is... Shawn Michaels is back, and he's here to stay. And... If you're not down with that, the Corporation of D-Generation has got two words for ya," Shawn paused.

"Suck it!" Everyone shouted.

Raw went to a commercial break, so Rated RKO and their 'resources' went backstage. Shawn headed over to the commentators table.

"Hey guys! Miss me?" Shawn asked innocently.

Jerry Lawler and J.R stood up and tossed down their head sets.

"My God, Shawn... It feels like you're been gone for years... Good to have you back, I'm so glad you're ok, son!" J.R shouted and hugged Shawn.

Once the two separated, Shawn smiled at him, then stepped over to Jerry Lawler.

"It's great to see you're ok, Shawn... And it's even better to have you back!" Jerry told him and hugged him.

Shawn broke away from Jerry and smiled at him.

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate it." Shawn stated, bowed his head and walked away with Paul.

"You hear how crazy the fans are going? They LOVE you, Shawn!" Paul shouted.

Shawn smiled at him.

"Just imagine how it's going to be backstage..."

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been busy with school and stuff... Once again, thank csimiamigirl73 for her dedication to me uploading chapters... Without Katie, this story would probably be on chapter 9. LOL. Thanks again, Katie**

**Oh, and don't forget to check out her (ahem, our, ahem) story, Lies From Within. The 6th and 7th chapters are both in production, so just hold onto your seats! It's going to be a great ride!**

**Oh yeah, and this chapter is going to be a 2 part. The next part will be uploaded by next week, it depends on how bored I get. LOL.**

**I originally said that I was going to have an alternate ending, but I decided to just stick with the one idea my friend William gave me. So there's only going to be one ending, because if I had an alternate it would get all confusing cause the ending would branch off into different chapters... It would just be one big mess. LOL. So... Yeah, just be patient with me, please...**

**R&R**

**Edit: The chapter's title, 'No Need to Fear What You Can't Avoid' is from the song 'Friday Night' by the ever so amazing McFly.**


	20. A Beautiful Lie, the Perfect Denial

Dark Reflections

Chapter 20

A Beautiful Lie, the Perfect Denial

Shawn and Paul made their way backstage to see a whole bunch of the guys waiting for them. There were mostly crewmembers, like technicians and road agents lined up against the wall, cheering Shawn and Paul on as they walked to Vince's locker room. Shawn shook most of their hands and smiled at those who said 'welcome back' to him.

The two once again crashed into Vince's locker room. Paul shut the door behind them and watched as Shawn walked over to the couch and sat down. He looked over at Paul.

"We got the crowd hyped up and the wrestlers shocked. What now, man? Where do we go from here?" Shawn asked.

Paul sighed and sat down next to him.

"We go wherever you want to go, Shawn. Whatever you want to do."

"Well... We can't leave, 'cause you have a match later," Shawn paused, noticing that Paul was staring at him in an odd way. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Shawn asked in a serious tone.

Paul shrugged his shoulders and looked away.

"Ah... Nothin..."

Shawn half smiled and grabbed Paul's right hand. Shawn gripped onto Paul's pointer finger and brought it to his forehead, then traced the scar that stretched from ear to ear.

"He did that with a razor blade," Shawn told him, then dropped Paul's hand.

"The night I regained consciousness from the assault at the arena. It was a Friday, actually..," Shawn paused to see the sullen look in Paul's eyes.

He smiled at him.

"It's ok to ask questions, Paul."

Instead of receiving an actual answer, or getting a question, Paul put his hand on Shawn's face and gently rubbed Shawn's cheek with his thumb.

"What happened to you..?" He asked, sounding kind of dramatic.

Shawn nodded his head no and got the urge to shrug Paul's hand off of his face, but decided not to.

"Won't say... Paul, you should know by now that I'm a very stubborn person and I prefer to keep matters like this to myself." Shawn replied.

Paul continued to look at him sullenly.

"You were never kidnapped and beaten before, Shawn..," Paul paused once he saw Shawn's eyes turn cold.

He very rarely saw that happen.

"Shawn... You have to talk eventually..." Paul stated.

Shawn took that moment to shrug Paul's hand away in anger.

"'Eventually!' Are you kidding me, Paul! What makes you think I will EVER talk about what happened? I'm not planning on saying a damn thing! Not to you, not to Vince, not to Shane and sure as HELL not to my wife!"

Paul nodded his head sympathetically.

"I understand..." Paul started, but was cut off by a pissed off Shawn Michaels who was only growing angrier by the minute, and was now red in the face.

"You understand? Bullshit! You don't understand ANYTHING, Paul! Nothing! Do you know what it's like to go by day by day... Thinking about what happened? The thought alone is enough to make me sick to my stomach. How do you think it would make me feel if I SPOKE about it! Do you think it would make me feel BETTER, Paul! Do you think it would make me feel BETTER to get it off of my chest and into someone else's mind?" Shawn shouted.

Paul was so shocked at Shawn's fit of rage that he had no idea what to say to him. All he did, all he was able to do, was stare.

After a few moments of awkward silence, somebody knocked on the door. Paul walked over to the door and opened it. It was Randy Orton, and he looked like he was about to go crazy if he wasn't let in. Paul stepped to the side and gestured for Randy to come in, which he did. He ran into the room, making Shawn look at him like he was insane.

"Oh my God! It's really you! You're ok! I missed you! Is it ok to give you a hug," Randy paused to ask.

Shawn smiled and nodded his head. No sooner did he finish one nod, Randy immediately pulled Shawn into a hug.

"You have no idea how much I prayed for you," Randy stated in a tearful voice. "It seemed like it was never ending, but somehow... Somehow I knew you were going to be ok... Well, maybe not mentally, shit like that never leaves you," Randy paused and pulled out of the hug.

Shawn had never seen Randy cry until now. He looked so miserable.

"If you ever need anything, and I mean ANYTHING, you give me a call, ok?" Randy asked.

Shawn nodded his head.

"You got it, Randy. Thanks for dropping by." Shawn replied.

Randy smiled back at him and wiped his face dry.

"I'm lucky I got here first... There's going to be a whole bunch of guys coming to see you. I know Chris Benoit is next, he tried to bribe me so he could be the first one to see you. He was pretty pissed when I didn't take the bribe, though." Randy stated with a smile.

Shawn exhaled deeply.

"It's a good thing you didn't... But... Even then... Oh jeze... I'm doomed... I'd be surprised if I got a visit from everyone backstage…" Shawn sarcastically stated.

"You probably will, Shawn..." Randy replied.

Shawn sighed.

"Well, I'd better prepare myself for this. Nice seeing you again, Randy." Shawn stated and hugged Randy again.

Randy pulled away, smiled and left the room.

Shawn looked over at Paul, who was still a bit uneasy from what Shawn had said earlier. Paul decided to speak first.

"Do you want to see everyone? I mean... If you're not up to it I'll tell them to fuck off..." Paul stated, making Shawn chuckle.

"No, I'm ok... I'm looking forward to seeing SOME of the guys, just not all of them... Ya know what I mean?" Shawn asked.

Paul nodded his head and half smiled.

"Yeah... I get it... Well... Kind of... I can't imagine how different it is from returning from an injury. Much different then that..." Paul stated.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"We'll find out in a few, I guess... Hey... How was Randy acting so... Level headed with me?" Shawn asked and looked over at Paul.

Paul looked Shawn dead in the eyes.

"You never heard about Randy?" He asked.

Shawn narrowed his eyes and nodded his head no.

"Uh... Obviously not... What about Randy?" Shawn replied.

"He was kidnapped when he was 8 years old... He was sexually abused during the week he went missing. You never heard this before?" Paul asked.

Shawn went wide eyed when he heard 'sexually abused' and then nodded his head no.

"No, this is the first I'm hearing of it... Judging by the way he acts, you never would've thought something like that happened to him..."

"'Don't judge a book by its cover' Mr. Shawn Michaels. I thought you knew that... Besides, it's not very nice to do. Randy tries to forget about what happened... But... As he said... 'Shit like that never leaves you.' I guess he only told me and Flair about it... I thought he told you, being you were the second person he went to for guidance when he first came up..." Paul told Shawn.

Shawn once again nodded his head no.

"Nope. He didn't tell me. What difference does it make? I know now and I guess that's what matters..."

"I saw the way your face looked when I told you Randy was sexually abused," Paul paused and watched as Shawn shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat.

"I think you should talk to him, Shawn... Please? Do it for your family, at least. You know Becky is going to sense something is wrong with you..." Paul pleaded.

"No." Shawn flatly stated.

Paul sighed and was about to continue pressuring Shawn about talking to Randy, but there was a knock on the door. He stood up and thought about how everyone wanted Shawn to get psychiatric help for what happened, being he wasn't opening up to anyone about it. But now he knew that somebody he was relatively close to went through the same... Well... Kind of the same thing as he did and he still didn't want to talk. Once Paul reached the door, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and opened it, revealing a very eager looking Chris Benoit, who practically trampled over Paul to get to Shawn, who he threw his arms around and enveloped in a deep hug.

Paul steadied himself and growled, then closed the door. He stood with his arms folded across his chest and watched Benoit damn near suffocate his friend. After what felt like hours, Benoit finally stepped back and knelt down on the ground so he was able to look into Shawn's eyes.

"I'm guessing you know what I'm about to say, don't you?" He asked, sounding kind of pissed off.

Shawn half smirked at him.

"I have an idea, but I'm guessing you're going to shock me and say something completely different? Cause if everyone is gonna say the same thing, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead and go to sleep." Shawn stated.

Benoit smirked back at Shawn.

"You think you're cute, don't you?" He asked.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"Unless the lyrics lie, that's what my song says." He replied, making Paul cough to keep from laughing.

"You cocky Texan..,"

Shawn could tell that wasn't Benoit's first choice of words, but oh well.

"Anyway... I came here to tell you that I never really thought I could miss anybody as much as I miss Eddie," Benoit paused to exhale deeply and sniffle. "I didn't realize that dying and being kidnapped are sort of alike... You never really know the outcome of a kidnapping, and it felt like I hadn't seen you in years... I never thought I was going to be able to miss you, of all people... By the second week I missed seeing your smile brighten up everyone's day... I missed listening to your ridiculous laugh when D-X successfully pulls a prank," Benoit paused to put a hand on Shawn's face.

"I missed seeing your eyes brighten up when the fans would cheer for you. Hell, I missed your doofy face, period," Benoit paused to chuckle, as did Shawn.

"I'm glad you're back, Shawn... And I hope you're doing what the heart of Shawn Hickenbottom thinks is right and not what the huge ego of Shawn Michaels tells the mind of Shawn Hickenbottom to think is right. Well... I gotta go. I'll see you later." Benoit stated.

He hugged Shawn once more.

"Thanks for dropping by, Chris." Shawn told him.

Chris nodded his head, acknowledging what Shawn told him, and left the room.

After a few moments of silence, Shawn met Paul's accusing gaze. He looked at him, as if to say 'what?' Paul exhaled deeply and nodded his head.

"I'm starting to think I should let you deal with this on your own, Shawn... I mean... You're not cooperating with me." Paul told him.

Shawn sighed.

"You think I'm doing this on purpose, don't you? You think I don't want to say anything." Shawn stated with accusation in his voice.

"Shawn, if you wanted to talk you would've said something by now." Paul told him.

Shawn looked him in the eyes.

"You don't get it..."

Shawn had paused to think of what to say, but a knock on the door prevented him from saying anything... For now, anyway. Paul glared at Shawn, then walked over to the door and opened it. He was greeted with the chest of The Undertaker, Mark Calloway. Paul immediately stepped out of his way, allowing him to enter the room. He walked over to Shawn, allowing Paul to close the door.

Shawn looked up at Mark. The two stared at each other for a moment. Once Shawn went to stand up to face him, Mark pushed him back onto the couch and sat down next to him.

"I didn't scare you, did I?" Mark asked.

"You kinda freaked me out. But all is well, 'cause I know you well enough to know that it's how you are. Intimidation is your middle name."

Mark smirked at Shawn.

"You're damn right it's my middle name... Actually it should be my first name... Anyway..," Mark paused and put a hand to his chin, trying to figure out what to say.

"Listen, you know... You should know better than anyone that I'm not too great with words. My forte is being in the ring, kicking ass and taking names," Mark paused again.

Shawn nodded his head in agreement.

"Being you and I are the longest lasting WWE only Superstars... I feel that I share a special bond with you. I can't really explain it, but I felt the need to come by and welcome you back... I know you must be sick of hearing that by now, but I don't give a rat's ass," Mark paused to see Shawn smile, then clapped Shawn hard on the upper back.

"Well... Welcome back and I hope you know what you're doing." Mark stated and somewhat smiled, then left.

Once the door closed, Paul turned to look at Shawn again.

"Well I guess we'll finish our conversation at the hotel room, that way we won't be disturbed every 2 minutes." Paul told Shawn, who nodded his head in agreement.

Paul decided to just wait by the door rather than go off and sit down, just so he would have to get up again. As soon as he finished his thought, there was a knock on the door. He opened it to reveal Dave Batista, who was pacing back and forth like a father-to-be. Once Dave saw Paul opened the door, he ran in the room and attached himself to Shawn. Both members of D-X were confused by this, being Dave wasn't known to be one who displays emotion.

Once Batista separated from Shawn, he sighed and sat down next to him. The two just stared at one another. Shawn would occasionally glance over at Paul, and then look back at Batista. Paul was kind of confused by this, being he had never seen Batista act that way before. But then again, a person's reaction to a kidnapping is unpredictable.

"Um... Dave... Are you ok?" Shawn asked, unable to take the silence anymore.

Batista continued to stare at him. Paul walked over to the two and smacked Batista across the face, making him jump back.

"Whoa! Sorry, guys... I tend to daydream sometimes when something I've wanted to happen for awhile actually happens," Batista paused.

"And I've been wanting to see this loser for the longest time," Batista paused to grab Shawn and give him a noogie, then let him go again and patted him on the back.

"Welcome back, Shawn. I don't wanna hold you up or anything 'cause I'm pretty sure you're tired and not really up to getting visitors..."

The next sentence that came out of Shawn's mouth shocked Paul.

"No, its fine. I can't really explain it, but I kinda like having somebody other than Paul around. It takes my mind away from the old D-X days. That's all I think about; being it's pretty much the reason why I was kidnapped in the first place... Aside from the fact it was done to impress Vinnie Mac." Shawn stated.

Batista just stared at him, wide eyed, then glanced over at Paul, who was now staring at the floor.

"Um... I dunno what you want me to say to that, buddy... I'm sorry for what the fucker did to you, and I know damn well he's gonna go to jail for a long time," Batista paused again to watch as Shawn's eyes darted away from his face.

Batista sighed.

"So... Yeah... Welcome back, and, if you need anything, you know where to find me."

Once Batista was out of the room, Paul whirled around to look at Shawn.

"Are you freaking serious, Shawn? Are you saying you don't really feel safe around me?" Paul shouted, unable to ignore the question.

He had to get it off his chest. Shawn scoffed and nodded his head.

"That's not what I was saying, Paul... What I meant to say was that I missed hanging with the guys. When I was locked up in that room, all I thought about was you and Becky. It's good to see some fresh faces. I'm not saying I don't like you or I don't like having you around... I'm just saying I don't want to go back to the person I was before, and sometimes I get that feeling when it's just you and me and we're plotting evilly." Shawn attempted to explain.

Paul raised an eyebrow.

"I still don't understand your position on this, Shawn... But... Ok..." Paul stated with a shrug of his shoulders as there was a knock on the door.

Paul sighed and opened the door.

Ric Flair stepped in the room, allowing Paul to close the door. He heard some arguing going on between some of the Superstars, so he opened the door and stuck his head out.

"Hey! Everyone get back in line and shut the hell up or NOBODY will see Shawn, got it!" He shouted.

The Superstars did as they were told. Paul closed the door again and turned to see Ric and Shawn staring at him in amazement. Once Paul noticed the two were staring at him, he smiled mischievously and shrugged his shoulders. Shawn and Ric both smirked, then looked at each other and nodded their heads amusingly. Paul smiled and leaned against the door. He was surrounded by complete silence.

Ric and Shawn continued to stare at each other. Ric, however, was looking Shawn up and down, whereas Shawn was just staring into Ric's eyes. A small smile suddenly appeared on Ric's face.

"Ya know... You never cease to amaze me." Ric started off, making Shawn raise an eyebrow.

"How so?" Shawn asked.

Ric exhaled deeply.

"Well... Just when I think I can't be surprised anymore then I already am, you go ahead and pull it off," Ric replied.

Once he saw the confused look on Shawn's face, he decided to continue.

"I thought I was supposed to be the one who impressed you... The one who inspired you to become a wrestler..?" Ric half asked half stated.

"You did." Shawn replied, confusion filling his voice.

"Well. Tonight, the roles were reversed. You inspired me. You didn't only inspire me to love what I have while I have it; you inspired me to become a better person. You inspired me to be all that I can be, believe in anything and everything and always achieve my goals, no matter what they are." Ric saw Shawn had something to say and decided to pause.

"I did that just by coming back from being kidnapped?" He asked.

"Not just by doing that, Shawn. It's also the whole concept of the situation. After everything that happened to you, you put it behind you and came back. You were kidnapped in a WWE arena, Shawn. Every time you get a knock on the door, you probably freak out deep down inside, thinking back to that very night you were taken from the arena. Good thing Paul is with you all the time now," Ric saw Shawn slightly raise an eyebrow and exhale deeply.

"Hey, I know it might seem annoying, but if it makes you feel better, he's trying to protect you. He loves you like a brother, Shawn... And he wants to make sure nothing happens to you... You do know he thought the whole thing was his fault, correct," Ric asked, making Shawn nod his head in response.

"Ok, good. He wants to make sure you stay safe. You made it this far, you have to fight."

"I've been fightin' most of my life, Ric. That's how I got this far," Shawn paused to smile at Ric, who returned the gesture.

"Listen... I know Paul blamed himself for what happened... But I already told him. It wasn't his fault. What happened, happened, and nothing we could do can change that. Maybe something else could've been done, maybe not. Maybe this happened for the better, because if it were Paul, he would be dead," Shawn noticed Ric was about to interject, so he continued, raising his voice a little.

"Don't tell me I'm wrong. I heard the bastard say it, Ric. And while I was there, I learned not to take what he said lightly," Shawn paused to look at the floor, exhale deeply, then look back at Ric.

"And... I don't find Paul annoying. I'm so used to him that sometimes I forget he's there. He's been a great help with everything. He got me to talk when I thought I was done with life. I was honestly going to give up, but a tiny part of me was still intact. I wanted to be the Heartbreak Kid again. I wanted to chase my kids in circles around the backyard, throw Cameron into the pool, then 'accidentally' knock my wife in after him," Shawn replied with a smile.

"Paul was the one who never gave up. He got me to break out of my shell, and I owe him a lot for that," Shawn paused again, but this time, to smile at Paul, who smiled back with tears in his eyes.

"Ric... I find it hard to believe that I impressed you so much. All I did was come back after a rough month and a half. That's nothing compared to how you inspired me."

Ric, now on the verge of tears, nodded his head at Shawn.

"Shawn... It's not that you impressed me by returning to Raw, it's the whole idea of what that sick bastard did to you while you were under his... 'Care,'" The sarcasm was audible in Ric's voice.

It made Shawn scoff.

"Alright... So maybe I went a little far with what I said. I apologize. As I said, you inspired me to do things differently, and I won't be able to thank you for that." Ric stated.

Shawn smiled and decided to add his own opinion.

"Ric... Listen... How about we settle this argument... If we keep going, nobody is going to win." Shawn offered.

Ric nodded his head.

"Let's hear it." He stated.

"Ok. If you let me say you impressed me first, then I'll let you say I impressed you to be a better person. We both impressed each other. Everybody wins. Deal?" Shawn asked, sticking his hand out for a hand shake.

Ric smiled warmly.

"Deal." He stated and shook it.

"Good, I hate arguing." Shawn stated and smiled again.

"Ok, kid. I'm gonna head out. I'm pretty sure you want to get done talking to everyone... Cause, believe me, there's a long list of guys waiting to talk to you," Ric saw Shawn scoff and smiled again.

"Great to see you again. Take care." Ric stated and hugged Shawn good bye.

"Thanks for coming, Ric. Drop by later." He stated, making Ric nod his head in agreement.

Ric stood up and walked towards the door, stopping to hug Paul.

"You take care of him, Paul. Make sure nobody hurts him... He'll crack if something happens." Ric stated, kissed Paul on the forehead and left.

Paul wiped his face dry.

"You really meant what you said?" He asked Shawn, who smiled back and nodded his head.

"Of course I do. Why would I lie about how I feel?" Shawn asked.

Paul turned away from him, his thoughts shouting at him to tell Shawn how _he_ felt about Shawn's feelings.

_You already ARE lying about how you feel!_

Paul's thoughts shouted. He could tell by the look on Shawn's face that somehow he knew what he was thinking. He hated that about Shawn... He had the ability to know what was on somebody's mind without them saying anything.

There was a knock on the door, so Paul opened it. He was shoved to the side, leaving him in shock, both from the force of hitting the wall and the shock of who just walked into the room. He closed the door and stared at the man in shock.

"No way..." He muttered to himself.

Shawn looked up at the man wide-eyed. He couldn't believe who he was seeing.

"What's the matter, Junior? Feel like you've seen a ghost?"

"Oh my God... Jericho!" Shawn shouted, jumping up to hug the man.

Chris Jericho was standing in front of him, completely unaware of Shawn's intentions. He caught Shawn and fell backwards, then laughed his ass off, especially when Shawn freaked out and got up, then helped Chris up and hugged him normally. Paul made a mental note of this, although he already knew why Shawn freaked out.

"Hey, man! Long time no see... Wait, no... It's only been a year." Chris stated and pulled away from Shawn.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't care! Feels like longer after what happened…" Shawn shouted and hugged him again.

Chris smiled to himself, and then pulled away from Shawn, clapping him on the shoulders.

"Love what you did to your hair..." He sarcastically told him.

Shawn smiled.

"I didn't do it. He did." He replied and pointed at Paul, who smiled evilly.

"Well it looks better then that 80's pretty boy long hair look you had going on... Now people are gonna think we copied off of each other," Shawn took that moment to look at Chris's hair and noticed he cut it short too, and also frosted the spikes.

Chris shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh well. We're both sexy beasts, so it'll work out," He paused when he heard Shawn laugh. "Hey I'm being serious here!" Chris shouted.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. So, how ya been? How's the kids?" Shawn asked.

Chris somewhat narrowed his eyes at Shawn.

"You're kidding me, right?" Chris asked, sounding quite pissed off.

Shawn looked around, obviously confused.

"Uh... What are you talking about?" He asked.

Chris sighed, looked down, then back at Shawn.

"You just came back to work after being kidnapped from an arena... You're not afraid right now?" Chris asked, making Shawn smile at him.

"Not really. It's impossible to be afraid of something that already happened... Well... For me, anyway. I'm not afraid of being kidnapped from an arena 'cause I know it won't happen again. Paul has vowed to be with me 24/7. And besides, I'm much more aware now. I wasn't paying attention last time. Now I know what to be on the lookout for." Shawn replied, giving Chris an assuring smile.

Chris frowned.

"This isn't a game, Shawn. You can't play it off like it never happened…" Chris paused once he saw Shawn narrow his eyes angrily at him.

"You think I'm treating this like it's a GAME, Chris? Huh? This is NOT a game to me!" Chris decided to cut Shawn off.

"Then treat it seriously, Shawn!" Chris saw Shawn's eyes widen in anger and his face grow red.

"I AM treating it seriously! You don't understand, Chris! I'm trying to GET OVER what happened, not pretend like it never happened! I WISH I would wake up and realize it was all a dream! Do you know how much of a relief that would be for me? Do you think I WANT to have this much attention from guys I don't even like? Do you think I WANT to be treated as a child 24/7? Do you honestly THINK I WANT these thoughts in my HEAD all the time? All these friggin scars and bruises? What the HELL do you think my wife is going to say when she lays eyes on me, huh? How about my kids? They're freaking 6 and 2 years old, Chris! You think they're going to understand anymore then you do!" Shawn shouted, making Chris gulp.

"Shawn, Shawn... I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that…" Chris paused, trying to figure out what to say.

Shawn's face returned to its original color.

"How did you mean it, then?" He asked calmly.

Chris sighed.

"I certainly didn't mean it the way it came out, buddy... And I'm sorry I upset you…"

Shawn exhaled deeply.

"It's ok... But thanks for saying it the way you did. I was able to let off some steam. I'm sorry for screaming." Shawn told Chris.

"No, no, Shawn... It's fine. You need to blow off some steam every now and again. If you keep it all bottled up, you're going to break down." Chris stated, making Shawn sigh.

"I know. I just want to keep this to myself for awhile. I don't know how to explain it... Ya know? I don't want to burden anyone else with it."

"You're not going to burden anyone, Shawn. We wanna help you through this..," Chris paused to smile.

"Listen... I know you're sick to death of hearing it, but I think you deserve it for what you're doing tonight. You're like Superman, Shawn. With all that shit that happened to you, you STILL came back and defied the odds, once again," Chris paused to hug Shawn again.

"I love you Shawn. You're an inspiration to us all! Well," Chris pulled away from Shawn.

"Gotta get going. I have to talk to Vince about coming back sometime next year…"

Shawn jumped up and down happily, clapping.

"Yay! You're coming back!" He stated and smiled innocently.

_Awwww... Such an innocent man... Who in their right mind would want to hurt him?_ Chris asked himself.

"Yes. I'm coming back. Well... I'll catch you 2 later." Chris hugged Shawn one last time.

"BYE CHRIS!" Shawn shouted after him as he left the room and walked down the long hallway to Vince's office.

Shawn turned to look at Paul.

"Was he telling the truth, Paul?" Shawn asked.

Paul looked back at Shawn and exhaled deeply.

"Well... You do act like it never happened sometimes, Shawn... And you really need to unload. Chris is right; you're going to crack eventually. The only way to prevent it is to talk..."

Just when Shawn was about to answer Paul, there was a knock on the door.

_Great! Whenever I'm about to either talk some sense into him or he's about to tell me something important, somebody goes and knocks on the friggin door! I swear I'm going to kill whoever..._ Paul stopped his thought mid-sentence when he saw who was standing on the other side of the door.

"Uh... Hey, man... Long time no see..." Paul shakily stated and leapt to the side of the door to avoid being pushed again.

He hated being pushed by guys his size... He hated it even more when he was pushed around by bigger guys, especially the one who was now walking over to Shawn. Even he raised an eyebrow and did a double take to make sure he was really seeing the 6'10" wrestler who he once called his best friend and a member of the 'Kliq.'

"Whoa! Kev!" Shawn suddenly shouted.

"The one and only." The man replied, taking off his sunglasses.

Shawn smiled in delight and hugged him.

"It's been a long... LONG time since I've last seen you, Kev! You have to come by more often." Shawn told him sternly.

Kevin knelt down to literally be eye to eye with Shawn.

"Here's the problem with that, my friend... I work for a different company now. And the companies we both work for are rivals, although I know TNA has nothing on the WWE…" Kevin replied and smiled.

"I know. It's cause me and Paul are here." Shawn replied, smiling proudly. Kevin pushed him lightly.

"Oh, you're so full of yourself!"

Shawn smiled back at him.

"Why, of course I am! I've always been full of myself." Shawn stated, making Kevin chuckle.

"Well at least you admit to it... I've known guys who won't admit to anything, even though they know it's true," Kevin paused.

_Well, well... If only that statement would sink into Shawn's thick ass skull... I wouldn't be having a problem right now!_ Paul thought to himself.

"Well, I just dropped by to welcome you back and say hi... I don't get to see you anymore or talk to you... I think the three of us should get together and have a barbeque or something. We need to catch up." Kevin stated.

Shawn smiled.

"Sounds good to me. Including the wives and kids or..?" Shawn asked.

Kevin half nodded his head.

"Whatever works. I think our wives need to catch up with each other anyway... And I haven't seen Cheyenne in ages! I bet she's big now!" Kevin shouted in a happy tone.

Shawn blushed.

"Of course she is. She's beautiful! Aurora is growing quick, too! You'd be surprised that she was only born this year!"

"Yeah, so the wives and kids are in on this too... I have to see Cameron... I owe him like... 3 birthday gifts…" Kevin stated and scratched his head.

Shawn chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, Kev. He won't mind…" Shawn told him.

Kevin waved him off.

"No, no... I promised him I wouldn't forget a birthday... And I already bought the gifts... So... I might as well give them to him. Besides, he's so adorable…" Kevin smiled.

Shawn nodded his head.

"Yeah, a real cutie..."

Paul decided he should join the conversation.

"So how are your kids, Kev?" He asked.

"They're good, thanks, Paul! How do you like being a daddy?" He asked.

A large smile came onto Paul's face.

"I LOVE it! I love being able to show her off in public! It makes me so proud!" Paul shouted.

"Wait til she gets older, Paul... Terrible two's aren't so far away... Once she starts walking and talking, it's all over for you!" Shawn stated and made a face to scare Paul.

"Terrible two's? Screw them! Wait til she starts begging you for a cell phone and always goes over her minutes!" Kevin added on.

Paul frowned at both men, then smiled.

"After all this time, it still seems like we've never been apart…" Paul stated.

"I know. It's weird." Kevin replied.

"So! Once I get back home and I have a chat with the misses, I'll call you guys up and schedule a barbeque. Sound good?" Shawn asked.

"Sure. It'll be good having it at your place." Paul replied and put a hand on Shawn's shoulder.

Kevin nodded his head, then hugged Paul and Shawn.

"Well... Until then... I'll see ya around! Bye."

Shawn and Paul watched as Kevin left the room and slammed the door behind him. Shawn sighed.

"I don't want to see anyone else tonight…" He stated, half out of nowhere, making Paul smirk.

"If you're serious, I can arrange that…" He told him.

Shawn looked over at Paul and smiled.

"I'm kinda getting sick of people telling me the same thing over and over again... But I guess I owe it to them to sit back and listen to what they have to say..." Shawn watched as Paul sat down next to him on the couch.

"You don't owe anybody anything, Shawn. If you want I'll tell them to write you a letter or something. You can always see them another time."

"Sounds like a good idea..," Shawn watched as Paul got up and walked over to the door. "WAIT,"

Paul jumped and turned to face Shawn. Shawn stood up and waddled over towards Paul.

"Let me come with you, at least they can see me and give me a hug." Shawn stated with a sweet smile.

"Awwww. You're so kind..." Paul stated and opened the door and walked out, closely followed by Shawn.

Once the Superstars in the hallway saw Shawn, they went quiet. He smiled at them and decided he should be the one to talk.

"Listen, guys... I'm glad to see you all care about me enough to come by and welcome me back... But I'm getting a little tired... If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to either write a letter to me or wait until another time. Does that sound ok to you? You guys don't mind, right?" Shawn asked.

The Superstars nodded their heads no, then approached Shawn and said a quick hello and hugged him or shook his hand. The last man to approach Shawn made a shiver go up his spine.

Officer Vasquez.

Paul noticed Shawn's face when he saw the police officer who acted as a personal slave to the WWE since he had been kidnapped. Officer Vasquez smirked at Shawn.

"Hey, Shawn," He stated as he shook Shawn's hand. "Good to see you back, kiddo... And in one piece! I'm impressed. From the reports I heard, they thought you were D.O.A." Officer Vasquez smiled at Shawn, who swallowed hard and looked at the ground, then back up at Officer Vasquez.

"Thanks…" He shakily responded.

Officer Vasquez smiled.

"You're welcome. Keep strong." He stated and winked, then walked away.

Shawn watched him walk away, then looked at the floor. He finally turned to look at Paul.

"Ready?"

Paul nodded his head.

"Yep!"

Although he sounded happy on the outside, his mind couldn't help but wonder...

_What the hell was that about?_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Aha! Another chapter finished. Sorry for the long wait... School was crazy... And my laptop got 5 viruses on it! Today was the last day, and I graduate on the 26th. I'm so excited! Since I have all this free time (and a movie downloading) I'll be on the computer more. Thanks for being patient with me... After all... I'm sure most of you know what I'm going through!  
Can you find another hint as to what's going to happen in the future chapters? (And no, Katie, you can't participate in that...)  
BTW! Check out the story Lies From Within, which is co-authored by me and Katie! (csimiamigirl73)  
Oh, another thing... I know that some people are a little iffy about Chris Benoit after what he did last year, but by judging what I heard Superstars say about him, he was relatively nice to his co-workers... So I decided to show that in this chapter.**

**Edit: The chapter's title is an edited version of a line in the song 'Beautiful Lie' by 30 Seconds to Mars.**


	21. Here Without You

Dark Reflections

Chapter 21

Here Without You

Rebecca Hickenbottom, better known to most as Mrs. Shawn Michaels, sighed and continued to stare out the window of the beautiful home she and her husband owned. They lived there with their two children, a boy and a girl, and three lovely dogs. There was something that was troubling her, and not even god was able to help her with this problem.

She hadn't seen her husband for nearly two months. He had been kidnapped from an arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and she was supposed to spend time with him that weekend. She sighed and imagined all the horrible things that happened to him. Better yet, she let her mind wander back to when she last heard her husband's voice...

"Hey babe." Her husband's raspy voice half stated half shouted over the phone.

He sounded relatively happy, which was normal for him.

"Hey Shawn. What's up?" Rebecca asked.

"Nothin' really. Paul and I just got to the arena," She heard Shawn sigh and raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno about this one, babe. I feel a little weird about it." Shawn stated, his voice and mood suddenly changing.

"How so, honey?"

"Well... I'm not sure, really. But I'm getting a weird feeling." Shawn replied, tapping his chin with his free hand.

"It's probably just your overactive imagination. That's bad for a serious environment, hon. Maybe you need more than 2 days at home." Rebecca teased.

Shawn chuckled.

"I definitely do. But there's always time for that later," Shawn paused to think of what to say.

He suddenly saw Paul and the two started talking.

"Oh. Vince needs me for a minute or two..."

"Can't he wait for later? I mean, there's a good two hours before the show and I don't get to talk to you until the morning..." Rebecca sadly replied.

"Wish I could, babe. But it has something to do with the house show tomorrow..," Shawn sighed.

He hated hearing Rebecca upset.

"Listen, I'll call you back when were finished. I'm sorry..." Shawn told her.

Rebecca smiled.

"It's ok, babe. I'll talk to you when you call."

"You bet. Give the kids a kiss for me."

"Dozens. Be careful."

"Always. Love you."

"Love you too."

And with that, they both hung up. Rebecca sighed. She heard the strange hint in Shawn's voice. He even told her he didn't have a good feeling. But he said that so many times before and nothing extremely serious happened. She wished she would've called Vince or Paul and told one of them. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. If she told either Vince or Paul, they would've kept a close eye on Shawn. What happened nearly two months ago would never have happened...

"Rebecca..?" Rebecca heard Paul's shaky voice ask as she picked up the phone.

"Yes this is she. Paul? That you?" She asked.

"Uh... Yeah..." Came the shaky response.

"Why do you sound so nervous, Paul? Everything ok?" Rebecca asked.

"No... No, Rebecca, everything isn't ok..."

"What's wrong," When all she got for a response was silence, she decided to continue.

"What happened to Shawn?"

"How did you know something happened to Shawn?" Paul asked.

"I can tell by your voice... And he also said he didn't have a good feeling about tonight," Rebecca paused again, receiving silence.

She looked over at the time. What she saw made her heart jump into her throat.

"Oh my goodness! Paul, what happened to Shawn? The show didn't even start yet!"

Paul sighed.

"Shawn was... Alone in the locker room... I stepped out to talk to Vince... As I was heading back I ran into Steve Austin and spoke to him," Paul paused to try and keep his cool.

"When I got back to the locker room he was gone," Paul paused again and reminded himself not to tell her about the footage from the security camera.

"Vince, Shane and I asked around and we found out that this guy came backstage with a fake police shield, passed himself off as a cop to Shawn and kidnapped him..."

Paul was almost sure that Becky would pass out. Hell, he felt he was about to do the same! He heard her breathing change.

_Oh no. She's crying._

Then Paul heard a voice... And he knew this problem was about to get 10 times worse in a second.

"Why are you crying, mommy?"

Oh shit... Cameron...

"Cameron, go sit down in daddy's office, I have something to talk to you about," Rebecca stated, then sighed.

"Paul... I'm trusting you to keep me updated. If you guys hear ANYTHING and I mean anything, good or bad, I want to know." She told him, hoping he would listen.

She heard Paul sigh.

"I don't know if I can do that, Becky. Vince is pretty much running everything, and he doesn't want you to worry too much." Paul replied.

If Becky was in front of him, she was sure she would've smacked him. He wasn't being very fair. This was her husband they were talking about. She wanted to know every single detail about the situation. But then again, she knew Vince for 4 years and, in that short time, learned and came to love Vince's policy regarding his most treasured superstars, especially Shawn. He was concerned about all of them, no matter how small of a problem they were facing, or if they weren't facing a problem at all. She sighed, finally realizing Vince was probably right to shelter her from some things. Shawn wouldn't have wanted her to hear those kinds of stories anyway, stories about his pain and abuse, things along those lines.

"I guess Vince is right to make that decision... Shawn wouldn't want me to hear those kinds of things…" Becky paused to exhale deeply and wipe tears from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Becky... I wish there was more I could tell you... You know that." Paul told her.

"Yes, I know, Paul... I just can't believe this... How am I going to tell Cameron?" She asked herself more than asking Paul.

"Be frank with him, Becky. He won't like it if you keep it a secret from him... And tell him everything you learn. He might be a kid, but he loves Shawn very much, you know that." Paul replied.

He always had an answer for Becky, especially when she didn't want to consult Shawn.

"I guess you're right... Thanks, Paul. I appreciate it... Listen, you take care. I want you to call me when you have some spare time. You need to worry about yourself, too. Don't just stress over my Shawn." Becky told him.

"You got it." Paul replied in a half teary voice.

"I love you, Paul. Don't forget that. Shawn loves you as well, and the bond you two have is something I will never comprehend. May God be with you in your search." Becky told him.

"Thanks Becky, and may God be with you and your family... Love you guys, send it to Camey and Chey." Paul stated.

"Always. Bye Paul." And with that, the two hung up.

Becky sighed and decided to tell Cameron as soon as possible. She did tell him to meet her in Shawn's office, anyway.

She made her way to the office and walked in to see Cameron sitting in Shawn's chair, pretending to be on the phone like Shawn when he had a phone call regarding his career. Cameron might not have been told by his parents that his dad was a wrestler, but he wasn't completely stupid. One of his friends in school told him about an amazing wrestler named the 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels, and went as far as to tell him awesome stories about his matches through the years. Cameron became amazed with the wrestler and asked to see a tape of his matches, or at least a picture. He was granted with a picture, and what he saw made his eyes pop out of his head, for the man in the picture had the same exact blue/green eyes, boyish grin and ashy blonde hair as his dad. Not to mention, he was standing with a man identical looking to his dear old Uncle Paul!

"Who are these guys?" He remembered shouting to his friend.

His friend chuckled.

"That's Shawn Michaels and his best friend Triple H," He paused when he saw Cameron frown.

"Oh you want to know their real names, don't you," He asked, making Cameron nod his head.

"Well you should know them, being they're always at your house," When all he got for an answer was silence, he continued.

"Dude, Shawn Michaels is your dad... Isn't his name Michael Hickenbottom?" His friend asked somewhat sarcastically.

"Yeah but he hates the name Michael… He likes Shawn more." Cameron replied, making his friend chuckle again.

"And that guy... Triple H. Does your dad call him 'Hunter'?" The boy asked.

Cameron wasn't quite sure. Whenever he heard his dad talking to Uncle Paul, he referred to him as "Paul." Maybe the name "Hunter" was used once or twice.

"Not really. He calls him Paul." Cameron replied.

"'Cause that's his name. Paul Levesque." The boy replied.

Cameron sighed.

"Why didn't he tell me he wrestles?" Cameron asked himself more than his friend, a trait he obviously received from his mother.

The boy shrugged his shoulders.

"If you saw what he did in the ring, it might worry you. I'm sure he doesn't want you to see too much of that stuff... He does get hurt sometimes... Like last year he hurt his knee so bad he couldn't even stand up without holding onto something, let alone walk on it!"

Once Cameron came back from his memory and noticed his mom was standing in front of him, he put the phone down and looked at her with a serious face.

"Something you wanted to tell me?" He asked.

Becky nodded her head.

"It's about your dad."

Cameron sighed.

"Look... I think I know what this is about…"

Cameron was kindly and swiftly cut off by Becky.

"I don't think you do, honey…" she replied.

"Mom, I know daddy is a wrestler... My friend told me earlier this year and he had pictures to prove it. He said he didn't tell me sooner cause daddy spoke to his dad and told him not to tell me cause he wanted to do it himself, he just didn't know how..," After glancing at his mother's shocked face, Cameron decided to continue.

"That was it, wasn't it?" He asked.

Becky nodded her head no.

"Although I'm upset you didn't tell me this sooner, I hate to tell you that... That wasn't what I wanted to tell you." Becky replied.

Cameron sat back further in the chair and frowned, then exhaled deeply. Becky smiled at the action. Cameron was acting just like Shawn when he was getting angry.

"Well, what DO you want to tell me, then? You seem sad, mommy... And I thought that you wanted to tell me daddy was a wrestler..." Cameron's voice trailed off.

He didn't know how to say what he wanted to say, so he decided to stop talking altogether. Becky stared at him until he was done talking, and then sighed.

"Cam... Look... I'm sorry your father and I didn't tell you about his career sooner. We were worried that you would worry about him too much. Your dad was planning on telling you this weekend... And he wanted to take you to a show when the WWE comes to San Antonio," Becky saw Cameron smile.

He already decided to let the anger he had about the situation go.

"However... There's a problem..."

Cameron's eyes widened with sadness.

"Is it something I did?" He asked.

Becky pouted.

"Of course not, Cameron Kade! Never blame yourself for something you don't even know about..," Becky paused to rub his cheek with her right hand.

He looked her in the eyes... God how she loved his eyes, they were just like Shawn's.

"Cameron... I don't know how to tell you this…" She paused again to sigh.

"Tell me straight up! I'm a big boy, mommy. I can handle it." Becky smiled slightly.

Yep. Cameron was indeed his father's son.

"Ok," Becky gestured for the boy to walk over to her and sit in her lap, which he did.

"Well... There was a problem at work... Daddy's gone away for awhile..."

"He's dead?" Cameron asked, about to burst into tears.

Becky bit her lip to keep from crying as well.

"No, honey. He's not dead. He's alive... Just..," Becky paused again.

"Remember daddy and I told you not to talk to strangers without us around," She asked, making him nod.

"Well... The reason why we taught you that is because sometimes there are strangers that go around and take other people without their permission?" She paused.

"You mean... Kidnapping? Daddy was kidnapped?" Cameron asked.

Rebecca nodded her head.

"Yeah... Daddy was kidnapped..."

Cameron suddenly jumped out of her arms and turned to face her.

"Why didn't Uncle Paul help? I know all about him being Triple H! He works with daddy; they're a tag team called D-Generation X," Cameron shouted, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"David said they always have each other's backs! Daddy saves Uncle Paul and Uncle Paul saves daddy! Why didn't Uncle Paul save him this time?" Cameron shouted, finally bursting into hysterics.

Becky pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back, trying to make him calm down.

"Paul is beating himself up over the fact he wasn't there to protect your dad, Cameron... He regrets it, and it's something he's going to have to deal with every day until we get your dad back."

As if that wasn't bad enough, Rebecca received a special visit from Shawn's parents the next day. They started off acting casual, talking about how much Cameron was growing and how adorable Cheyenne was getting. Shawn's father, Richard, would occasionally look over at the clock. He knew Shawn called his wife everyday at a certain time when he was away from home. Rebecca eventually caught Richard glancing at the clock. He just laughed it off and said it was nothing, but Rebecca knew better.

"So... I'm excited for the barbeque this weekend…" Shawn's mother, Carol, stated, almost out of nowhere.

Rebecca's head shot up.

"Barbeque?" She asked.

Carol chuckled.

"Shawn's been planning it for almost a month, the whole Hickenbottom clan is going to be there," Carol replied, making Rebecca look at the floor. "You don't remember?" She asked.

Rebecca smiled sadly and looked up with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Lord... Rebecca... What's wrong?" Richard asked.

Rebecca sat down on the edge of the couch, something she usually yelled at people for doing. But it was the best way she could look at both Richard and Carol.

"It's Shawn... He was kidnapped from the arena in Des Moines, Iowa last night..."

She watched the looks on their faces turn from concern to pure shock and, finally, to heart break. Richard immediately settled his eyes on the floor, whereas Carol kept them on Rebecca.

"My goodness! How'd it happen?" She asked, making Rebecca sigh.

"Paul called last night and told me he stepped out of the locker room to talk to Vince, then stopped to talk to Steve Austin, who he hadn't seen in months. Shawn was alone in the locker room, and when Paul went back, he was gone. Him, Vince and Shane went around asking people if they saw what happened, and they said they saw a guy with a police shield asking questions as to where Shawn and Paul were. Paul said that he must've passed himself off as a cop to Shawn and grabbed him…" Rebecca was cut off by Carol.

"You said he had a police shield." She pointed out.

Rebecca shrugged.

"It was fake."

Rebecca sighed. Telling Cameron and Shawn's parents was the worst thing she ever did. Watching the time pass by didn't help much, either. She sighed each morning as she crossed the day off on the calendar, receiving a sad glance from Cameron as she did so. Each day she picked him up from school he would give her a hopeful smile, just to receive either a sad look or a little nod for a response, making him look down sadly and buckle his seat belt. She wondered how much more of this her son could handle before he snapped.

As promised, Paul called her every day. He didn't really have much information to give her, but just hearing his voice was enough. He was overly depressed at the constant thought of what was happening to Shawn, and he constantly blamed himself for the situation. Rebecca tried to convince him that he couldn't have done anything differently and that Shawn's kidnapping happened for a reason, but Paul wouldn't hear it.

A month and a half had gone by before she heard anything else. The phone rang while Rebecca was eating dinner with Cameron and Cheyenne. All three of them looked at each other. Rebecca glanced at Cameron.

"Cameron, get the phone, please."

Cameron nodded his head, stood up and walked over to the phone. Cheyenne watched her brother.

"Hello this is Cameron Hickenbottom speaking, how may I help you?" He asked.

"CAMERON! Cameron, it's Paul! Put your mother on, it's really important!" Paul shouted.

Cameron held the phone up in the air.

"It's Uncle Paul." Cameron stated.

"Does he seem happy or sad?" Rebecca asked.

"Happy. It sounds like he's jumping up and down…" Cameron replied.

Rebecca sighed and stood up.

"Cameron, watch your sister, please," She stated and received a nod in agreement from the 6 year old.

He sat down and watched his little sister, who stared back at him with wide eyes.

"WHAT,"

Cameron and Cheyenne both jumped when they heard their mother yell.

"Are you serious? Is he ok..? Oh... Alright. Ok. I will. Be safe, Paul. Call me when you get a chance. Ok. Bye." Rebecca hung up the phone and turned to look at Cameron and Cheyenne.

"Was it about dad?" Cameron asked.

Rebecca walked over to the table and nodded her head yes.

"Yes. They got him. Uncle Paul, Vince, Shane and Steve. They got your dad back, and they're helping the doctors help him get better." She watched Cameron smile, and watched as his eyes filled with tears.

"When is he coming home?" Cameron asked, making Rebecca sigh.

"They're not sure yet. He's in the hospital right now, and the doctors are helping him the best they can... They don't know when he can leave right now, because he's hurt. Uncle Paul will be calling us from time to time to let us know how daddy's doing... When daddy gets better, he can decide when he's coming home to see us." She told him and wiped the tears from her sons face.

About a week or so later, Rebecca received yet another phone call from Paul's cell phone.

"Hello?" She asked, figuring it was going to be Paul with another update.

"Hey there, Becky! I got somebody who wants to talk to you!" She heard Paul shout.

She heard him hand the phone over to somebody, who obviously almost dropped it, making Paul say 'friggin moron.' She chuckled to herself and waited for somebody to say something.

"Hello?" Came the sweetest voice she'd ever heard in her life.

Rebecca swore she was going to melt. After all, she hadn't heard that voice for almost 2 months. She felt tears of joy well up in her eyes.

"Shawn..." She breathlessly whispered.

"Awwww, Becky! You'd better not be crying, babe. Don't want your make up to make you look like a raccoon."

She chuckled at her husband's poor choice of timing for a joke.

"That's not funny…" She stated in a tearful voice as she wiped the tears away.

Shawn smiled.

"Alright... I'm sorry... How are you?" He asked.

"I missed you so much, Shawn... And all you can do is ask how I am..? I should be asking you that…" She stated, making Shawn chuckle.

"I'm ok. A little sore, but ok. Nothing I'm not used to." He told her.

She smiled in relief.

"That's great. Shawn... Camey wants to know when you're coming home. He misses you." Rebecca told him.

"Well... Tell him I love him and I'm ok, 'cause I know how that kid worries... And I'll be home as soon as I can, I promise," Shawn paused.

"I love you too, Becky. I love you with all my heart and I miss you more then you'll ever know."

* * *

**A/N: I finally got bored enough to finish this chapter! This was mostly a filler, being I didn't know where else to go at the moment I started typing it. I decided the next chapter is going to be the court day... I'll try to get that done ASAP, being I start college tomorrow... I know I promised a lot of updates over the summer, and I failed miserably. Sorry, guys... Got kinda sidetracked with other stuff going on... Like the story I'm working on with csimiamigirl73. R&R please, I get much lazier when I don't get reviews.**

**Edit: The chapter's title is obviously the name of a song by 3 Doors Down.**


	22. Fall of the Elite

Dark Reflections

Chapter 22

Fall of the Elite

Paul and Shawn slowly made their way up the long staircase to the courtroom. Paul could see Shawn shaking. He knew Shawn didn't want to look at or hear the name Austin Payne, let alone be in the same room with him. He sighed and led Shawn over to his lawyer.

"Mr. Hickenbottom…" The lawyer started and stuck out his hand.

Shawn winced at the name.

"Call me Shawn." He replied and shook the lawyer's hand.

"Ok. My name is Alan Luongo, and I'm going to be your lawyer for this case. I read as much information as I could about this situation, as well as your police statement. All you have to do is answer my questions on the stand and you'll be fine," Alan paused and looked over at Paul. "And you are?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Paul Levesque. I'm mostly here for moral support, but I was also summoned as a witness," Paul stated, making Shawn roll his eyes and look away. "He's not all up there, if you know what I mean..." Paul whispered, making Alan nod his head.

Shawn turned to look at Paul again.

"I don't think I'm gonna be able to do this..."

Alan and Paul both put an assuring hand on Shawn's shoulder. Vince, Shane and Steve walked into the court room and sat behind where Alan, Paul and Shawn were standing. It also happened to be where Robin was sitting. Once everything got settled and people started to file into the court room, Shawn took deep breaths to try and calm himself down. He looked up at the worst time. Austin was being led into the court room by the police. He locked eyes with Shawn and winked at him. Shawn looked down at the floor and promised himself he wasn't going to break down. Paul put a protective arm around Shawn's shoulders and glared evilly at Austin, then led Shawn over to where he had to sit with Alan.

"Please rise for the honorable Judge George Calloway III..." A man stated, making everyone stand as the Judge walked into the room.

The Judge walked over to the pulpit and sat down.

"Be seated." He growled.

Everyone obeyed his demand. Shawn was starting to shake, making both Paul and Alan look over at him.

"Are you ok? I could ask the Judge to excuse you..." Alan offered.

Shawn nodded his head.

"I'm... Fine..." Shawn mumbled.

"The court case we are hearing today is Payne vs. Hic... I'm just going to say Michaels and the WWE," The Judge paused.

"Payne, Austin faces 20 to life in charges of kidnapping, domestic violence, abuse, neglect, and attempted manslaughter. Mr. Payne, how do you plea?" The Judge asked.

"Not guilty, your Honor." Austin replied, making the Judges eyes go wide.

"These are very, VERY serious charges and you should take them seriously, Mr. Payne." The Judge growled.

"I take them VERY seriously, your Honor... It's just that... There are some things missing from the list of charges you have against me, and I feel upset that they're all not there..." It was obvious Austin would have continued, if it weren't for his lawyer elbowing him in the side to shut him up.

"Do not play with me, Mr. Payne!" Judge Calloway III angrily shouted.

Austin smiled evilly at the Judge.

"I'm sorry your Honor." He replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

Judge Calloway III narrowed his eyes angrily at Austin.

"One more shot, Mr. Payne. You are really pushing my buttons today," He sighed and calmed himself down.

"Ok... Mr. Luongo, please call your first witness to the stand." Alan stood up and looked around.

"I would like to call Michael Hickenbottom to the stand." He stated, making Austin smirk.

Paul looked over at Alan.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Paul asked.

Alan sighed.

"I know what I'm doing. Shawn is a potential witness to everything; he heard the threats and was abused because of it. I'm going to use that to our advantage. Shawn is my first witness, followed by Robin, and then I'm going to call you to the stand. So get ready."

Paul looked on as Shawn shakily walked over to the stand. Vince saw how much Shawn was shaking and tapped Paul on the shoulder.

"What the fuck is he thinking? Shawn is going to break!" He stated through gritted teeth.

Paul sighed.

"Luongo has everything under control..." Paul whispered back, and then turned to watch Shawn.

"Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

Shawn nodded slightly.

"I... I... I do..."

The Judge smiled sympathetically at Shawn, which he noticed out of the corner of his eye.

"State your name, please." Alan stated as he stood up and walked over to the stand.

"Michael Hickenbottom." Shawn replied.

"And what are you most known as?" Alan asked.

"Shawn Michaels." Shawn replied.

"And what's your job?" Alan asked, making Shawn raise an eyebrow.

He didn't really know where Alan was going with this.

"I'm a professional wrestler for the WWE."

Alan nodded his head.

"How long have you been working for the company?" He asked.

"About 18 years." Shawn replied.

"And as a professional wrestler, your job requirement is to entertain the crowd, not only by physical competition but by acting as well?" Alan asked, making Shawn nod his head.

"Yes sir. We portray characters on the shows, and most of the time the character we portray is completely different from who we are in real life." Shawn replied, swallowing to try and get rid of a large lump in his throat.

Alan nodded his head, continuing to pace back and forth in front of Shawn.

"Describe your character of 'Shawn Michaels' for us, please." He asked kindly.

Shawn raised an eyebrow, but swallowed once more and sighed.

"Um... Ok... Shawn Michaels is less cocky then he was years ago. He's more sensible about life because he has a new view on it, but he's still stubborn and somewhat brash. He's still resilient, knowledgeable about his strengths and doubtful of his weaknesses. He's also obnoxious and a little full of himself at times." Shawn replied, making Alan smile.

"And are you like that in reality, Shawn?" He asked.

Shawn smirked.

"I won't lie; I am somewhat like my on screen character. The biggest similarity is the new look on life, both myself and Shawn Michaels live everyday to its fullest, and we also enjoy all the time we spend with close friends and family," Shawn paused for a moment to glance over at Paul. "I have been told by fans that I'm a little full of myself, but they don't realize I have to portray a character when I meet them instead of acting as myself. Because if I had to act as myself, I probably wouldn't even talk to them." Shawn replied, making Alan chuckle.

"And why is that?" He asked.

"Because I'm WAY too shy. I absolutely hate talking to people I don't know too well. I'm like the kid that sits by himself in school 'cause he doesn't know anyone. When I have to act as Shawn Michaels, I get the strength to talk to people freely. It's a little strange, I know... But we're two different people. He's brash and arrogant whereas I'm shy and sensible."

"Now... Tell us about the events that took place in Des Moines, Iowa. Do you remember what happened that night?" Alan asked.

Shawn nodded his head, once again struggling to find the strength to talk.

"Paul Levesque, also known as Triple H, my co-worker and best friend, and I were in our locker room before the show... And Paul decided he was going to go and get a drink. So, he left. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, so I got up to open it. It was a man who identified himself as Jack Traven, a police officer from a local precinct, and he even flashed a phony police shield," Shawn exhaled deeply, and then looked up at the Judge, who silently urged him to go on.

"Well... He said that the precinct received calls about D-X related disturbances in a local neighborhood, and he asked if either myself or Paul would accompany him to the precinct to clear everything up. He was pretty clear he wanted Paul to go with him, but I convinced him that Paul was busy and he agreed to let me go. As I turned to get my coat I remembered hearing the name 'Jack Traven' in a movie with Keanu Reeves, so I questioned him about it. Next thing I knew I was hit in the head with something and knocked to the ground then stomped on and assaulted some more with a blunt object. He then led me from the locker room and tossed me in a car. I woke up 4 days later in his house in Fremont, Ohio."

Alan nodded his head.

"So... Can you identify this man for us?" He asked.

Shawn nodded his head.

"Yes I can. His name is Austin Payne. However he told me his name was Jamie Jones, and he had his former fiancée Robin Ford believing that as well." Shawn replied.

Alan nodded.

"And is that man sitting in this court room?" He asked, making Shawn look at him like he was insane.

"Yes, he is. He's sitting right there." Shawn stated and slightly nudged his head in Austin's direction.

Alan nodded his head at Shawn.

"And... What went on while you were with Mr. Payne? Did he threaten you in any way?" Alan asked.

Shawn just stared at him for a little while, then looked at the floor and tried to build up the strength to talk.

"Well? Answer the question, Mr. Hickenbottom." The Judge stated.

Shawn swallowed hard again and tried to stop himself from shaking.

"He threatened my life when I 'spoke back...' And... He would constantly threaten Paul's life," Shawn paused and exhaled deeply.

_Man this is getting harder..._

"And to answer your first question, he would do nothing but beat me down with whatever he could get his hands on..."

Alan once again nodded his head at Shawn.

"Can you be completely descriptive with us? Take us through an encounter with Mr. Payne that sticks out the most in your mind," Alan paused, noticing all the color drain from Shawn's face.

He leaned in closer to Shawn and heard his breathing become irregular. Shawn stared at the floor and started shaking again.

"Are you ok, Shawn," He whispered.

When he didn't get a response, he glanced up at the Judge.

"Your Honor, I think Shawn is going into shock." He mumbled, making the Judge get slightly worried.

"Do we have any doctors in the jury stand?" He asked.

Two women in their early 20s raised their hands.

"We're Psychology majors at Fordham University... We've had 4 years experience in the field." One woman with wavy blonde hair stated.

The other had shoulder length straight brown hair. Both had sparkling green eyes. The Judge gestured for them to approach the stand, making Paul stand up as well. Alan turned around and gestured for Paul to approach the stand so he could help with Shawn. Paul raced towards the stand and got there before the two women. He and Alan each grabbed an arm and helped Shawn up. Shawn leaned more towards Paul, making Alan let go and allow Paul to have full control of what Shawn did. He got the hint that there was only one person Shawn trusted more than anybody, and that was Paul.

Paul put an arm around Shawn's shoulders and gently guided him out of the court room while people looked on curiously. Vince was afraid of how pale Shawn was and how much he was shaking. He looked over at Shane.

"I knew that son of a bitch Luongo made a mistake by making Shawn take the stand." He angrily stated through gritted teeth.

Shane sighed.

"You can't blame Luongo, dad. It's not his fault; he didn't know the severity of what Shawn went through. Hell, not even we know everything that happened."

Paul assisted Shawn over to the stairs of the court house and helped him sit. He silently told Alan to back away with the two Psychology majors, so he did. Paul knelt down next to Shawn and once again put an arm around his shoulders.

"Are you ok, Shawn? Need to talk to me about anything?" He asked.

Shawn took a deep breath and let it out, then nodded his head no.

"Not really... Well... Not at this time…" Shawn paused for a moment before rubbing his chest with his left hand.

"Your chest feels tight?" Paul asked.

Shawn sighed.

"A little."

Paul rubbed Shawn's back, silently trying to assure him everything was going to be ok. Shawn sighed and put his head in his hands. Before Shawn was kidnapped, Paul knew that was a sign he was going to cry. However, now it was a sign that Shawn was fighting his emotions. Whatever happened to Shawn changed everything he did, and Paul was deeply saddened by that. He used to be able to read Shawn like a book. Now he had to wait for whatever came next, but he was learning quickly. Paul sighed and continued to rub Shawn's back, trying to assure him he was going to be ok. He heard a muffled sniffle and leaned in to rest his head on top of Shawn's.

"It's gonna be ok, Shawn. You know that I'll never let him hurt you again. He's not going to get near you, I promise." Paul whispered into Shawn's ear, which seemed to calm him down a little.

Shawn picked his head up and threw his arms around Paul for a hug. Paul closed his eyes and hugged Shawn back. It had been awhile since Shawn hugged him voluntarily.

Alan took this moment to walk back over to Paul and Shawn. He cleared his throat, making Paul look up at him.

"We have to go back in the court room, Paul." Alan stated.

Paul sighed and gave Shawn an assuring squeeze, then broke the hug. He once again put his head against Shawn's.

"I love you." He whispered and walked away, leaving the two young Psychology majors from Fordham University alone with Shawn.

"Would you mind if we sat down?" The woman with the brown hair asked.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"Free country, isn't it?" He asked.

The women looked at one another and sat down next to Shawn, one on each side.

"I'm Madison Borelli and this is my little sister Mackenzie." The brunette stated and stuck out a hand.

Shawn looked up at her and slightly nodded his head.

"Call me Shawn." He replied and shook her hand, then the blondes.

"Are you ok, Shawn? You look a little pale." Mackenzie told him.

Shawn sighed.

"I'm fine, I just need some time alone so I can think and regain myself." Shawn replied and smiled at the two young women next to him.

Madison nodded her head no.

"Sorry, Shawn. We're not allowed to leave you alone. Mr. Luongo told us to stay with you until you're calm enough to go back into the court room, because you're a potential witness, and you're the best piece of evidence Luongo has against Payne."

Shawn narrowed his eyes angrily.

"And what gives him the right to make that decision? I don't want to go back into that fucking court room! I don't want to look at the bastard ever again." Shawn shouted.

Mackenzie put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Was it something Luongo said or was it something Payne did?" She asked.

Shawn glared at her hand, so she quickly took it off of his shoulder.

"What the hell difference does it make? All that matters is I don't want to go back in there. I don't want to look at him ever again." Shawn replied and looked down at the ground.

Madison sighed.

"Shawn... You have to realize that you're not the only one going through this. By you being so upset, it upsets everyone else who cares about you. Your friend, Paul, is going crazy trying to help you. He'd do anything for you, Shawn. And you're not being of much help when you get like this, because it makes Paul feel bad that you feel so horrible," Madison paused and watched as Shawn looked at her.

"Your friends only want to help you, Shawn. They don't want you to hurt anymore."

Shawn sighed and looked back at the ground. The Borelli sisters watched as his eyes filled with tears.

"I don't want to hurt anymore either... Trust me, I don't. I just... Can't cope with what happened. It's too much for me. I can't stand it," Shawn put his head in his hands and fought the tears away.

"I don't like feeling like this... So helpless. Weak. Vulnerable... It's not who I am inside and I know it. I'm a soldier, I can't be broken. I need to stay strong for my family and my friends, but I don't know how to do it with everything that's happened." Shawn stated, and then looked back at the sisters.

Mackenzie and Madison looked at one another, and then back at Shawn.

"Shawn... Look," Mackenzie paused and watched as Shawn looked at her.

"I'm not going to say I know what you're going through, because in all honesty, I don't. And the last thing I want to do is lie to you. But... You have to realize that your lack of showing emotions is hurting you here. The fact you haven't opened up to anyone about how you truly feel is eating you up inside," Mackenzie paused once more, looking Shawn in the eyes.

"And as you said, you can't take it. It's making you weak. You are eventually going to break into pieces, Shawn. You have to find somebody to open up to. Whether it is Paul, Vince, Shane, Steve or your wife. You have to talk to somebody and get it off your chest before you get lost in your emotions and become a shell all over again."

Shawn stared at Mackenzie, processing her words and truly thinking about what she said. He knew she was right. But his stubborn alter ego wouldn't accept it.

"Do you honestly think I'll feel better once I get it off of my chest and into someone else's mind? I don't want to have anybody feel any sympathy towards me, Mackenzie. I want everyone to treat me the same way they did 3 months ago, when none of this shit happened." Shawn paused when he saw rage in Mackenzie's eyes.

"They're not going to, Shawn! Nobody is going to treat you the same because the Shawn they once knew and loved isn't there anymore! You've changed, Shawn! What don't you understand about that? They don't know what to expect from you anymore because you're different," Mackenzie paused again when she saw a look of sadness in Shawn's eyes.

"Shawn, we met you 10 years ago and again 3 years ago. You are much different now then you were back then." She stated and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't see how that has anything to do with this." Shawn stated.

It was Madison's turn to get angry.

"It has some significance. You have to realize that the way you're acting isn't only hurting yourself, your family and your friends. It's also hurting your fans. They can see a change in you, Shawn. And it's not only your appearance."

Shawn sat there pondering what the two young women were telling him. He returned his eyes to the floor and wondered what was going on inside the court room.

* * *

Paul and Alan walked back in, making Vince, Shane and Steve turn to look at them. Paul didn't look too thrilled, but he didn't look too pissed off either. The three men sighed and looked towards the Judge again. He was also looking at Paul and Alan curiously.

"How is he?" He asked them.

Paul looked over at Alan, then back at the Judge.

"I guess he'll be ok, your Honor. He's not quite right up there." Paul stated and tapped his head.

The Judge nodded sympathetically. Paul took that moment to glare at Austin Payne.

_If only..._

Judge Calloway III looked at Alan.

"Your next witness, Mr. Luongo, being your key witness is outside hyperventilating..." He stated.

It was at that moment he knew it was going to be a long case. He also realized that Austin Payne was guilty as hell, but he was quite saddened when he didn't declare it right off the bat. Now he had to sit there and listen to another witness or two from Luongo's side, then listen to Payne's defense.

Paul tried not to glare at Judge Calloway III, mostly because he didn't want to be thrown out of the court room. Then again, he realized the Judge was now somewhat annoyed because of the turn of events. He knew Alan shouldn't have called Shawn to the stand because of how Shawn acted when they first got him out of Freemont, but then again, Shawn was the best piece of evidence against Payne, and that's exactly what Alan needed to win the case. Alan faced the Judge.

"I'd like to call Robin Ford to the stand."

Vince, Shane and Steve turned to look at Robin, who stood up and approached the stand.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Robin nodded.

"I do." She replied and sat down.

Alan walked over to the stand.

"State your name and your relationship with both my client and Mr. Payne, please ma'am."

Robin smiled at Mr. Luongo.

"My name is Robin Ford. I didn't meet your client until he was stashed away at my home in Freemont, Ohio by my then fiancé Mr. Austin Payne... Or as he liked to call himself... 'Jamie Jones.'" She replied.

Alan nodded his head, then put on a confused face.

"Did you know that my client was in your home?" Alan asked.

Robin nodded her head.

"No, sir. I didn't know he was there until I snuck into the room Austin was keeping him in. I saw your client, Mr. Michaels, propped up against the wall with a severe head wound. He was bleeding so much I couldn't tell if he was wearing a red mask or if it was his face." Robin replied.

Alan nodded his head once again.

"Help me understand this, please... Why would a sane person want to kidnap another human being and hold him against his will?" Alan asked.

Robin sighed.

"He didn't intend for anyone to find Shawn, Mr. Luongo. He wanted to kill Shawn after he had his fun with him."

Alan raised an eyebrow at Robin's statement.

"'Fun?' What in the world do you mean by that?" He asked.

Robin gulped and looked down; much like Shawn had done when he was getting uncomfortable with a question.

"You know... Abuse him. See how much he could withstand before he broke. Shawn was very adamant that he wouldn't cry or beg Austin to stop. He took a lot of beatings, but he never cried, and that's what shocked me the most. I didn't think a man of Shawn's nature could take so much pain and not look to release his emotions." Robin stated, trying to keep the tears that welled up in her eyes from falling.

Alan nodded his head.

"What's the worst thing you witnessed happen to Shawn?" He asked, making Robin both sigh and struggle to keep her emotions in check.

"I... Well... There were two horrible things I witnessed, and they both led to Austin attacking me."

Alan whirled around and looked at Austin.

"Attacking a woman as well? You're sick," He muttered and looked back at Robin. "What exactly did he do, dear?" He asked.

Robin sighed.

"Well... One night I saw him burst into the room with a 4 x 4 and threaten Shawn with it... It was so weird for me to see... You would think that a _normal_ person would have cowered in the corner... But Shawn didn't. He stayed where he was and just spoke back to Austin, kind of like a robot... Like he didn't care anymore... So Austin swung the 4 x 4 at Shawn, who put up his broken arm to defend himself. The 4 x 4 broke over his arm, and... Then Shawn noticed I was there, he tried to tell me to leave but," Robin paused and closed her eyes, letting the tears fall.

"But... Because he took his eyes off of Austin, he didn't see the 4 x 4 coming down on his head," She paused again and wiped the tears away, then looked over at Paul, who also had tears glistening in his eyes.

"Shawn fell to the ground, eyes open and bleeding from a wound to the head... He was unconscious for hours. A day or two, even…" Robin looked back up at Alan.

"And what did he do to you?" He asked.

Robin sighed again.

"He chased after me and twisted my arm, then threatened my life if I said anything or went near Shawn again."

Alan smiled lightly.

"But I doubt you heeded the warning." He stated, making Robin chuckle.

"No, I didn't. I waited until he was at work, then I snuck back into the room and took care of Shawn. I couldn't just leave him like that. He looked horrible…" She replied and looked back down.

"And what was the second event?" Alan asked.

Robin sighed.

_I don't think it's my place to tell them about finding Shawn the way I did..._

Robin looked back up at Alan.

"It was the night I led Paul, Vince, Shane and Steve to the house... I went in before they did to make sure it was safe for them. When I got to the room, Austin had a knife and was teasing Shawn with it. He stabbed Shawn in the chest once or twice and slit his wrist," She looked at Paul, then back at Alan and saw the horror in his eyes.

"Well... I tried to get him to stop, but he pushed me away. Shawn then did some wrestling move... Um... The superkick, I think... And knocked Austin down. He tried to tell me something, but he groaned and spit blood out of his mouth," Robin looked back down again.

"His ribs were pretty bruised, and I guess Austin had some fun with him before I got there... Anyway... Austin got back up and grabbed a sledgehammer. Shawn tried to fight it away from him, but he collapsed from blood loss and pure exhaustion. Austin... Austin threw the hammer at Shawn's chest. I watched his eyes turn glassy and go unfocused and then his chest stopped heaving," She let silent tears fall once again.

"Austin ran after me and punched me in the eye, then started screaming about how it was my fault... All I could think about was Paul getting upstairs and finding out Shawn was dead... It was so horrible..."

Alan raised an eyebrow. He didn't remember seeing that in the police report.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute..," He walked over to his table and picked up a crème colored folder, then opened it and pulled out the police report.

"Mr. Michaels was dead?" He asked Robin, who nodded her head.

"Me and Austin are the only ones who really know about that. When Paul arrived Shawn was breathing again."

Alan looked at the Judge, who was looking at Austin with wide eyes.

"No further questions, your Honor." He stated and walked back over to the table, feeling as if his point was proven.

The Judge looked over at Robin.

"You may step down now, ma'am."

Robin nodded and did what she was told.

Alan looked over at Paul. He was honestly trying to decide whether or not he should call him to the stand. He wasn't really a witness to anything; he only heard stories of what happened. Once Paul noticed Alan was staring at him, he stood up.

"Your Honor, I request the permission to leave the court room and check on Mr. Luongo's client." He stated.

The Judge nodded his head.

"Go on, Mr. Levesque." He stated with a gesture of his hand.

"Thank you, your Honor." Paul replied and left.

Alan looked at the McMahons and approached them.

"I don't know what else to do... Shawn is my best piece of evidence and he's out there freaking out..." He sadly told them.

Shane and Vince looked at one another, and then back at Alan. Shane decided to make Steve move over, then followed him. Vince glared evilly at Alan.

"I TOLD you not to make Shawn take the stand, but you didn't listen, Luongo. I can understand making him explain different things... But to ask him that kind of a question... It's sick of you. You should've known by the way he was shaking that he wasn't going to be able to answer that type of a question. He's not mentally there, Alan. I don't know what that bastard did to him, but he really messed up Shawn's mind."

* * *

Back outside the court room, Shawn continued to stare at the stairs, still thinking about what the Borelli sisters told him. Since then, the girls either sat in silence or chatted amongst themselves. They felt somewhat upset over what they told Shawn.

"Shawn," Mackenzie started, making him shift his eyes to look at her from this peripheral vision.

"I think we came off a little harsh... And for that, we're sorry... We just wanted you to see that this whole situation is hurting everybody who ever cared about you, not just your loved ones. Do you understand what I mean," She asked.

He once again shifted his eyes back to the staircase. Mackenzie looked back over at her sister.

"Maybe we should get Paul to help." Madison suggested.

"We can't leave him alone like this, Madison. I'll go get Paul." Mackenzie stated.

She stood up, only to walk into Paul's chest. She almost fell back, whereas he didn't budge, except for grabbing her arm so she didn't get hurt.

"Are you ok?" He asked with a chuckle as she nodded her head in thanks.

Madison looked over at Paul and gave him a pleading look. He didn't notice it until he locked eyes with her.

"He's playing hard to get…" She joked and gestured to Shawn.

Paul scoffed.

"As usual..," He replied and walked over to Shawn, sitting in front of him.

"Tell me what's wrong, Shawny." He stated.

When he didn't get an answer, he looked back at Mackenzie and Madison.

"I think we sounded a little mean to him, but that's how we were taught to treat stubborn patients. We wanted him to realize he's not the only one suffering during all of this. Sure, he's the one who went through everything, but everyone else is suffering as well, because they don't know how to help him..." Paul heard the sadness in Madison's voice.

The girls were truly sorry for how they spoke to Shawn, but how could he blame them? He wanted to tell Shawn off from day one, but he didn't want to be the one to make Shawn break. He hated the thought of Shawn becoming a shell. Hell, the thought of Shawn crying was enough to make him upset. He nodded at the Borelli sisters.

"Give me some time with him." He stated, making the girls nod.

"We'll be in the lobby if you need us." Mackenzie told him.

The two walked away, leaving Paul and Shawn by themselves. Paul looked up at Shawn and tried to read his eyes. He was unsuccessful, as they were unfocused and his mind was probably miles away.

"Shawn... It's Paul... Can you please look at me," He asked.

Shawn's eyes slowly focused in on Paul.

"Good. Thanks. Now will you tell me what's wrong?" Paul asked.

Shawn looked down and gulped, then looked at Paul again.

"It's just... It's what Luongo asked me to do... I... I couldn't stand it... I tried so hard for so long to bite my tongue and not break down in there... I didn't want Jamie to know he won," Shawn paused once more and took some breaths, then exhaled deeply.

"I didn't want to be in the same room as him, Paul... I tried to conquer my fear... But I guess I can't, Paul. All the control I've had over myself is gone... I guess those girls were right. I'm not the same person I was 3 months ago..," Shawn stated, putting his head in his hands in defeat.

Paul moved up a few stairs and sat next to his friend, pulling him close. He noticed Shawn wasn't crying, instead he was mumbling something under his breath.

"This is my last resort. Cut my life into pieces. I've reached my last resort. Suffocation, no breathing. Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding. Do you even care if I die bleeding? Would it be wrong, would it be right? If I took my life tonight, chances are that I might. Mutilation out of sight, and I've contemplated suicide. 'Cause I'm losing my sight, losing my sight. Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine. Losing my sight, losing my mind. Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine. I never realized I was spread too thin. Till it was too late, and I was empty within. Hungry, feeding on chaos. And living in sin. Downward spiral, where do I begin..?"

Paul realized Shawn was mumbling the lyrics to 'Last Resort' by Papa Roach. He knew what the song was about, especially the line "I've contemplated suicide." He wanted to help Shawn, try and figure out why he was suddenly feeling like that, but instead, decided to move away from him a little. He didn't want to smother Shawn. The last thing Shawn needed was to feel that a knife or a razor would be the solution to his problems. Paul thought back to what Shawn told Batista the night he returned to Raw.

"_No, its fine. I can't really explain it, but I kinda like having somebody other than Paul around. It takes my mind away from the old D-X days. That's all I think about, being it's pretty much the reason why I was kidnapped in the first place... Aside from the fact it was done to impress Vinnie Mac."_

Shawn's voice played over and over in Paul's head like a horrible song you can sing along to, no matter how much you hate it. Paul suddenly came to a conclusion that maybe **he** was the reason why Shawn felt the way he did. **He** was the reason why D-X was back. **He**was the one who left the locker room. **He**was the reason why Shawn wasn't defended that night. If **he** were there he could have prevented everything. **He** was also the reason why Shawn wasn't left alone that much since he returned from the hospital. Why didn't Paul realize that maybe Shawn wanted a little privacy from time to time? Then again, he figured leaving Shawn alone would just bring him back to being alone all the time in Austin's house.

As soon as Paul was about to move away, he felt a strong hand grip his arm. He looked over at his arm and saw Shawn's hand gripping it tightly.

"What's..?" Paul wasn't even able to finish his question, for Shawn's voice interrupted him.

"Please don't leave me alone, Paul..." Shawn looked Paul in the eyes, those ever familiar eyes turning emerald green and glistening with tears.

Paul nodded his head and moved closer to Shawn, allowing the man to put his head on his shoulder. Paul never heard Shawn sob, nor did he feel his shirt grow wet from tear drops. He sighed.

_He's still not letting go..._

_

* * *

_

Inside the court room, Alan had told the Judge he didn't have any other witnesses, making Judge Calloway III sigh. He looked over at Alan briefly, making Alan nod. He walked over to the Judge and gave him Shawn's police statement, which was a detailed look at specific beatings and threats. Shawn was smart enough to leave the "other" encounters with Austin out of his statement. The Judge nodded his head and quickly browsed through the statement, then looked over at Austin Payne and his lawyer, Chris Stevenson.

"Mr. Stevenson, you may call your first witness to the stand." Chris stood up and nodded his head.

"I would like to call Austin Payne to the stand..." Chris stated.

Austin stood up with a smile on his face and approached the stand. Chris took this time to look at the Judge and give a somewhat sarcastic look. He knew he lost the case the minute he was appointed as Austin's attorney. The Judge chuckled under his breath, but since Chris was his friend for several years, he knew the Judge had chuckled.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Everyone looked over at Austin.

"Um... Sure?"

Vince rolled his eyes at the statement and was seriously tempted to stand up, walk over at Austin and slap him across the face, then hang him by his manhood on the flag pole. He smirked at his evil thoughts and would have put his plan into action if Shane didn't move closer to him, followed by Steve. Shane leaned closer to Vince.

"I know damn well what you're thinking dad... And it's because I'm thinking the same thing. We all agreed to let this be a fair court case. Doing what you're planning to do to Austin Payne will make it completely unfair... So for now... Keep it in your head." Shane stated.

Vince looked over at his son, who smirked in the classic Shane McMahon fashion, making Vince smile.

"Kid... I have no idea how you were able to read my mind... But I love you for it." Vince stated, making Shane smile.

"First and foremost... I'd like to say something…" Chris stated, beginning his questioning.

Alan leaned towards the McMahons.

"Chris is so pissed he was assigned as Austin's attorney. He knows Austin is guilty, and he's probably going to show it in this interrogation." He whispered quickly, then faced front again.

Chris looked at Austin and started applauding.

"Congratulations, Mr. Payne. You have one HELL of a case racked up against you. How could you possibly convince the jurors that you're innocent? Shawn's display of a meltdown was all they needed to make their decision, and he didn't even say anything completely incriminating against you." Chris almost smacked himself.

He was Austin's attorney; he wasn't supposed to badger his own witness. But he found it damn near impossible. Chris was a wrestling fan all his life, and one of his favorites happened to the victim of the case. He had met Shawn several times and didn't know how to address him. Shawn would smile each time, laughing at Chris's fan-girl like action.

"_Just call me Shawn, Chris. How many times do I have to tell you that?"_

He found it funny how Shawn remembered him every time he approached the table for an autograph and a picture. He figured it was because of the amazing sketch Chris gave him several years back. If Chris wasn't forced by his father to go to law school, he would have become an artist. He was able to sketch a picture of Shawn and Paul in perfect detail, with a few choice words about friendship underneath the picture. '_What is a friend? A single soul in two bodies.' _Shawn was in awe when he saw it, his jaw practically dropped to the floor. He kept tapping Paul's shoulder until he turned to look at it. He had the same reaction as Shawn.

Austin glared at Chris.

"But nobody's heard _my_ side of the story yet." He stated, kind of whining.

_I'm not sure I want to hear __**your **__story_...

Almost everyone in the court room had the same thought at the same time. Chris sighed.

"Ok Mr. Payne. What is your side of the story?" He asked, not sounding pleased at all about having to listen to it.

"Well... Everything Mr. Hickenbottom," The sarcasm was very audible in his voice, as was the smirk on his face.

"Said before... I did approach him and I identified myself as a police officer and I was after Triple H... Honestly, I wanted to snag him instead of that sniveling little religious snot," Vince, Shane and Steve all narrowed their eyes at him.

"But no... Triple H was busy. So I snagged Michaels. And let me tell you, it was a blast," He stated with a large smile on his face.

"You have to understand that he instigated me at times. Not like he could do much physically, but his words really hurt me at times... I mean come _on_ he called me a 'homosexual bastard,'" Austin paused and smirked at Steve, Shane and Vince.

He knew they heard Shawn say that, having been fully aware the video had played on Raw. Shane grabbed hold of both Vince and Steve. He knew they wanted to charge forward and attack Austin.

"What kind of person would call somebody a 'homosexual bastard?'" Austin looked directly at Shane.

As soon as Chris turned his back to him, he licked his lips in Shane's direction and smiled in satisfaction as the young McMahon's eyes grew wide. It was now Vince and Steve's turn to grab hold of Shane before he did anything. As soon as Vince sensed Shane was about to scream something, he slapped his hand over Shane's mouth and held it there.

The Judge noticed the struggle going on between Vince, Shane and Steve.

"What's going on over there?" He asked, now even more agitated then before.

"That miserable jerk just licked his lips at my son!" Vince growled, still struggling to hold Shane back.

_Jesus Christ he's strong..._

The Judge's eyes widened, then he looked over at Austin.

"Mr. Payne! Do I have to tell you again? You are getting on my LAST nerve! I would appreciate there be no more obscene gestures to ANYONE in the court room," The Judge paused. "I believe that was your last strike, Mr. Payne. If Mr. Stevenson doesn't have any further questions, I'm going to throw you out." Judge Calloway III looked over at Chris pleadingly.

Chris sighed.

"Sorry, your Honor. I do have another question," Everyone looked at Chris and waited for it.

"Do you have any accomplices?" Now everyone turned their attention to Austin, who smirked.

"Maybe," He looked around and saw everyone's angry looks. "Well... I'll tell you one... His name is Theodore Rodriguez."

Vince raised an eyebrow at the name.

_Theodore Rodriguez? Who the hell is that?_

Judge Calloway III, however, was overly thrilled he could finally toss Austin Payne out. As soon as he was about to say court was in break, mostly so the Jurors could make a decision, a Juror stood up.

"Your Honor, no break is needed. We already made a decision." He started.

The Judge looked over at him and sighed.

"Alright. Say it..."

The Juror smiled.

"We find the defendant Austin Payne extremely guilty on all charges."

The Judge nodded his head, he knew that was coming.

"Austin Payne... You have been found guilty on charges of kidnapping, domestic violence, abuse, neglect, and attempted manslaughter. You now face 20 to life in prison. Take him away!"

And just that was done.

* * *

Paul continued to let Shawn rest his head on his shoulder. He put his arm around Shawn, which allowed Shawn to adjust his head so his neck wouldn't hurt him. Paul eventually noticed people leaving the court house, but he didn't want to move in fear of either waking Shawn up or accidentally knocking him down the stairs. Paul looked up and saw Shane standing over them. He sat down in front of them.

"It's all over."

Paul raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean, Shane-O?" He asked.

Shane suddenly smiled brightly, which was rare for him.

"Luongo won! That son of a bitch pulled it off, not like it was so hard to do. Everyone in the court room got pissed off when Stevenson made Payne take the stand. He named an accomplice... Some guy named Theodore Rodriguez... Other than that, nothing else happened."

Paul noticed Shane's voice change a little.

"'Nothing,' you say?" He asked.

Shane sarcastically rolled his eyes.

"Ok, fine. The fucker licked his lips at me. So what?"

Paul almost jumped out of his skin.

"WHAT? Are you friggin serious? He did WHAT to you?" He shouted.

Shane cringed as Paul shouted at him, especially once he saw Shawn move around a little. Shawn suddenly sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"What's all the shouting about?" He asked.

Shane sighed.

"Ok. I'll say it one more time, Paul. Austin Payne was found guilty and is on his way to prison. He named one accomplice, Theodore Rodriguez."

Once Shane saw Shawn look away, he looked straight into Paul's eyes.

_And the fucker licked his lips at me!_ He mouthed, watching Paul's face turn red with anger.

Shawn stretched and stood up, looking around at everyone. He turned around, only to come face to face with Robin.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Shawn." She stated.

He smiled at her.

"Thank you, Robin. It was nice of you to come here for the case. I'm guessing you were called as a witness as well..?" Shawn asked.

Robin nodded.

"Of course I was. I wanted to help you guys in any way possible, and it looks like I did just that," She paused for a moment.

"Austin is on his way to jail. You never have to hear about him or see him ever again." She told him.

Shawn sighed.

"I wish it were that easy..." He whispered.

Robin nodded her head sympathetically and hugged Shawn, then walked away. Steve walked out of the court house and over to Shawn.

"It's over, kid!" Steve shouted and hugged Shawn, then proceeded to spin him around like he was a small child.

"Steve! Put me DOWN!" Shawn shouted, not really in the mood to be spun around in circles.

His head was already hurting and the last thing he wanted was to get dizzy. Steve obeyed and put Shawn down, then clapped him on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Shawn. I got a little over excited there..," Steve paused and noticed Shawn nod his head, kind of saying 'sorry for yelling at you' with the action.

"It's ok, Shawn. It was mostly my fault. Anyway... You feeling better?"

Shawn nodded his head yes.

"Much better. I needed to get out of the court room…" Shawn replied as Paul and Shane joined them.

"Dad is talking to Luongo, he'll be outside in a minute or two." Shane stated.

"What are we going to do after this?" Steve asked, making Shane smile.

"Dad is taking us out to eat." He replied.

Paul snapped his fingers.

"That's a great idea! Isn't it, Shawny?" He asked.

"Sure."

Vince joined the men and hugged Shawn.

"Ahhh you son of a bitch! That bastard is being tossed in the prison and they're throwing away the key! Congratulations, Shawn!" Vince shouted, making Shawn flash a cheap smile.

Vince made sure to take notice of the action.

"Let's go eat, I'm starving!" Paul shouted and started walking away.

Shane reached toward him and grabbed a hold of his pony tail, making him stop dead in his tracks. Paul turned to glare evilly at Shane, who couldn't help but smile innocently back at him. Shane proceeded to kick Paul in the ass and run as fast as he could away from him. Paul growled and chased after him. Vince and Steve looked over at each other, then at Shawn.

"Why don't you join them?" Steve asked him.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't feel like it." He replied and walked away.

Vince and Steve looked at each other again.

"God I wish I knew what was going on in his head half the time..." Steve stated and rubbed his forehead.

"Yeah... Me too..." Vince replied and decided to chase after Paul and Shane to get them to stop so they could go out to eat.

Shawn leaned against their car with his arms crossed over his chest.

"If only they knew who Theodore Rodriguez was... If only..."

He put on a fake smile as Vince, Steve, Paul and Shane walked over to the car. Paul, of course, was dragging Shane by the ear.

_I guess I'll have to tell them eventually. I can't let them go on with this guy so close to us. He could pull a fast one and they'll never see it coming... But how could I possibly get passed my fears after the display in court today?_

Shawn's mind was running faster than he could keep track of. He decided he **had** to tell them about who this 'Theodore Rodriguez' character really was.

But how could he ruin an otherwise perfect day?

* * *

**A/N: Ah. It feels great to be a college student. I find myself having more free time then before! This chapter was somewhat difficult to write, being I've never been in a court room (well, I probably wasn't old enough to remember, I was just an infant), nor have I seen any court shows on TV. I don't count anything you see on WABC, WNBC or anything like that because, let's face it, they seem so FAKE. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and look forward to future chapters.**

**Special thanks to csimiamigril73 (Katie) for helping me choose the lyrics to use as Shawn is having a meltdown on the stairs of the court house.**

**Watch For: The WWE pack up and head to Montréal, Canada, where they get more surprises then Shawn and Bret Hart getting along.**

**Edit: 'Fall of the Elite' is from the song 'All Hope is Gone' by Slipknot.**


	23. We Can Get Away With This Tonight

Dark Reflections

Chapter 23

We Can Get Away With This Tonight

Paul sighed. He absolutely hated going to Montreal. Not because he didn't like the city. It was simply because of what happened there in 1997. Technically, the "Montreal Screwjob" wasn't his fault, but he, like 4 other people, knew what was going to happen and didn't lift a finger to stop it. Sure, over the years he tried to apologize, as did Shawn, but they weren't forgiven for their sins. He even read in an online interview that Bret hart now named him, Paul Levesque, the man responsible for the Montreal Screwjob.

_Uh… What?_

Paul looked over at Shawn, who was fast asleep on the couch in the Corporation of D-Generation's locker room. They had been in the arena for two hour s already, and the show didn't start for about another hour. As if he wasn't angry enough already, he just received a text message from his brother in law saying Bret Hart was meeting up with him in a few minutes, and the two were going to join Paul and Shawn in their locker room. But, then again, Paul remembered Bret telling him he was hoping to see Shawn when the WWE made its way to Montreal, and that was almost 3 months ago. He just had to watch and make sure Bret didn't get to hit Shawn like he originally planned.

He once again looked over at Shawn and frowned. He was sleeping more frequently nowadays, and that probably wasn't a good thing. But at least he was sleeping. Shawn wasn't too happy about going to the arena extra early either, but Vince was able to convince him it was so fans wouldn't catch sight of him and it was for a creative standpoint, so Shawn reluctantly agreed, especially once he was told he could use the extra time to sleep.

There was a knock on the door.

"It's Shane, Paul. Open up, por favor." Shane stated.

Paul raised an eyebrow.

_Shane knows Spanish..?_

"Shane-O… I flunked Spanish… More than once." He replied.

He heard Shane laugh and then mumble something.

_Oh great… He really does have Bret with him…_

"Ok, ok… Open the goddamn door!" Shane shouted.

Paul chuckled at how uncharacteristic of him that statement was.

"Now that's a language I understand!" Paul exclaimed, stood up and opened the door.

He ushered Shane in and glared at Bret Hart for a moment before letting him pass, then shut the door behind him.

Paul knew that Shane was going to be the one to keep the peace, so he decided to save his brother in law the energy of giving him a lecture. He stuck out his hand for Bret to shake.

"How's it goin' man?" Paul asked.

Bret looked at him strangely, as if he were suspecting him of something, then suddenly smiled and shook his hand.

"Going good, thanks. Yourself?"

Paul half smiled and half nodded his head.

"Not too bad. Been busy with his royal blondeness over there." Paul stated and nudged his head in Shawn's direction.

Bret followed Paul's gesture to Shawn. His jaw slightly dropped, but he hid it by tightening it. The reports really were true. Shawn's appearance did change.

"Whoa…"

Paul was surprised Bret said anything.

"I know… Let me know if you want to talk to him…" Paul offered, making Bret look over at him in shock.

"You'd seriously wake him up?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

Paul shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't see why not. He has plenty more time to sleep till we can get out of here." Paul replied.

Bret smiled.

"I'd like to talk to him then…"

Paul nodded his head and walked closer to Shawn. He shook him lightly. Shawn opened an eye to look at him curiously.

"Come on, Shawn. Get up. Bret wants to talk to you." He whispered.

Shawn closed his eye and reopened both eyes, then sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Bret looked over at Paul, who gestured for Bret to approach Shawn. Paul stepped away once Shawn sat up straight and came face to face with Bret.

The two starred at each other for a few moments, both not knowing what to say. Shawn, especially, didn't know what to say or how to go about starting a conversation. He figured he shouldn't be the one to start talking. Bret was the one who told Paul to wake him up; therefore he should be the one to talk. He sighed. It was going to be a long night. Just when Shawn felt his eye lids gain about 50 pounds, he heard Bret speak.

"Glad to see you're alive."

Shawn eyes snapped open, his eye lids suddenly going back to normal.

"Thank you, Bret. I think it's pretty decent of you to stop by." Shawn replied with a weak smile.

Bret saw how tired Shawn was and sighed. Maybe it was a bad idea waking him up.

"I'm sorry, Shawn…"

Bret watched as the tired look disappeared from Shawn's eyes.

"'Sorry?' For what, Bret? You didn't do anything." Shawn replied, now being close to being fully awake.

Bret smirked.

"I made Paul wake you up, didn't I?" Bret asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"Well… Yeah… But that doesn't really count. There's no harm done in that, I can always pass out somewhere else." Shawn stated with a real smile, making Bret laugh.

"I see you developed a new sense of humor." Bret stated, making Shawn nod his head.

"Ya gotta in order to survive in the business these days. I'm 41 years old; most of the guys here are nearly half my age. I have to realize that they don't know what the hell I'm talking about half the time, so I have to learn about this generation, therefore creating a new sense of humor…" Shawn attempted to explain.

Paul and Shane raised an eyebrow, both trying to figure out what the hell Shawn was talking about. Bret was nodding his head, so he must've understood what Shawn was trying to say.

"Guess it's not the greatest thing being the oldest guy around, is it?" Bret asked in a teasing voice, making Shawn smile.

"Not really… But I'm technically not the oldest. Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler and Mark are all older than me. It also helps me sometimes, being I can teach younger guys better techniques, than watch them go out in the ring and be successful at what they do. "

"I heard Vince wants you and Paul to take over the developmental department… You know… Seek good potential and train new superstars. Is that true?" Bret asked.

Shawn nodded his head.

"Most definitely, Mr. Hart! Your sources are correct. Paul and I are, indeed, going to take over the developmental part of the business."

Bret nodded his head. Now he was really at a loss for words. Shawn seemed to be the same way.

"Listen… I'm really glad you're ok. I know it might sound strange, especially since we haven't spoken face to face in 9 years..," Bret paused for a moment.

He saw Shawn was still paying attention, so he sighed and decided to continue.

"Well… Let me say that… I'm sorry for neglecting you up until now. Owen always said you were a great guy to hang out with all those years ago, and I never cared enough to listen to him… Hell, I didn't care enough to make any friends. The only two people I can ever admit to having as my friends are Shane-O and Owen," Bret paused to smile at Shane, who returned the gesture. "And… I finally accept your apology. I felt… Betrayed… Humiliated… Upset… Shocked… Pissed off… You name it, I probably felt it. I know you tried to apologize many times over the past several years, Shawn. And I finally feel able to accept it. Because I want to say I'm sorry for what happened to you."

Shawn smiled at Bret.

"You do realize that you didn't have to accept my old apology in order to tell me you're sorry, right? As a matter of fact… I don't think you should feel sorry for me. It happens to people all over the world, Bret. Do you feel sorry for all of them?" Shawn asked.

He didn't want to sound nasty or mean, but he didn't want people to think it was the end of the world just because it happened to him.

Bret looked at Shawn, a somewhat angry look on his face.

"Why would you say that, Shawn? I'm trying to be nice to you, and you go ahead and turn into a prick? What more do you want from me? After all you've done to me in the past… I try to pretend like it never happened and you go ahead and turn into a fucking jackass!" Bret shouted.

Paul and Shane both went to step in, but Shawn held up a hand, making them stop dead in their tracks.

"Bret… Calm down. You're going to hurt yourself,"

Once Bret regained his composure, he looked at Shawn.

"That's not what I was trying to say… I apologize for how that sounded. I'm just trying to say… I don't want people to be sympathetic towards me. It's getting annoying. I just want people to realize that it happens to someone every day of the year. Mostly to kids. So why should I be treated like… I'm a fragile person… When I'm not affected to the point those kids were? Those kids are going to be traumatized for life because of what happened to them… Whereas I will eventually get over it, because I'm an adult and I work with adults and I know all adults aren't like that. Do you understand what I was trying to say?"

Bret nodded his head at Shawn.

"Yes, I do. And I'm sorry for the way I blew up at you. I got really aggravated there…" Bret's voice trailed off.

Shawn stuck out a hand, which Bret stared at for a moment before he took it in his own. He looked up at Shawn and saw a very caring look on the younger man's face.

"It's ok, Bret. I understand,"

Shawn shook Bret's hand, then let go of it and looked at Paul.

"How much longer before the show?" He asked.

Paul glanced down at his wrist to see he wasn't even wearing a watch. Shane laughed at him and glanced down at his wrist.

"Uh… About 40 minutes, give or take. Why?" He asked.

He already knew the answer to his question.

"Because I'm hungry and tired! Why else would I ask you a question like that?" Shawn asked, making Paul stifle his laughter.

Shane groaned and smacked his head with his right hand.

"Tell me why I still talk to you, Mr. Michaels…" He sarcastically asked.

When Paul noticed Shawn glare evilly at Shane, he took the liberty of smacking the youngest man in the room upside the head.

"Cause you, like thousands of people around the world, love him! Duh!"

Bret was surprised he laughed out loud. Paul was right.

"I agree with Shawn. I am kinda hungry… Can we head down to the cafeteria and see what they have for us to munch on?" Bret asked, making Shane, Paul and Shawn look at him in shock.

"Bret… Agreeing with… Shawn? OH MY GOD! Is it the Apocalypse?" Paul shouted, mostly scaring the crap out of Shane.

Shane rubbed his ear and glared at Paul, then smacked him upside the head.

"Jackass," Shane paused to roll his eyes and look back at Shawn and Bret. "Sure! Let's go!"

The group of men headed down to the cafeteria and walked in, claiming the table furthest from the door as their own. Paul and Shawn sat and waited patiently while Shane and Bret checked what food was available to them.

"So… How's it feel talking to Bret?" Paul asked.

Shawn sighed.

"Weird."

Paul smiled. He knew what Shawn meant. Hell, it was weird for him to see Shawn talking to Bret and acting like nothing happened between the two.

Shane and Bret pranced back over to the two with large smiles on their faces, which slightly worried Shawn and Paul.

"Uht oh… I'm not too fond of those looks…" Paul stated and glanced over at Shawn, who returned the gesture.

"What do they have?" Shawn asked.

Bret took a plate from behind his back and put it in front of Shawn's face.

_Cake?_

It said 'Welcome Back Shawn Michaels' on it. No sooner did Shawn read the words, he felt somebody's hand on the back of his head. Before he could protest his head was slammed into the cake, making Paul jump up and back away.

Shawn eventually pulled his head out of the cake and stood up, wiping the cake off his face in disgust. He turned around and saw Vince behind him with Blade, Bret Hart's son. Blade was laughing and slapped a high five with Vince. Shawn narrowed his eyes at the two, then looked over at Shane and Bret and saw the two laughing. He finally looked over at Paul, who was looking at him sadly. He knew Shawn wasn't in the greatest mood to begin with, and that action would only piss him off further.

He suddenly felt Vince's arm go around his shoulders.

"Awwww, Shawny! Relax! It's just a joke… The city of Montreal wanted to welcome you back. It's the least we were able to do…" Vince stated with a smile, only to receive a glare from Shawn.

He shrugged Vince's arm off of him and stormed off, punching the wall along the way. Vince watched him go and looked over at Paul, somewhat pleadingly. Paul shrugged his shoulders.

"Should've asked him if he wanted cake."

Shane sighed.

"Come on, Paul. Shawn knows how to take a joke. What's biting him?" He asked.

Paul sighed.

"Look, we all know Shawn hasn't been in the best of moods lately… And he hasn't been acting the same since we got him back from Payne… You guys should know he doesn't have the same sense of humor anymore. He's changed. I've finally realized it myself. And I think you guys should notice it too. Just because he looks and acts like the old Shawn doesn't mean he is the old Shawn. From what I know… Shawn is extremely tired and he hasn't been sleeping much at night. There's something wrong… And I'm going to see if he trusts me enough to let me know what it is." Paul stated and walked the same path Shawn did.

However, he stopped in the doorway of the cafeteria. He saw Shawn in the distance, being comforted by Randy Orton.

_Maybe I should just watch and see how this plays out…_

Sure, looking back on it now, Shawn decided that walking out of the cafeteria and straight up to the first person he saw, only to punch them in the chest wasn't the greatest idea… Especially since that person was Randy Orton. Randy didn't even seem to mind Shawn's actions. He recovered from the blow quickly and let Shawn vent his frustrations but letting Shawn hit him several more times, then caught him as his knees seemed to give out from under him. Randy lowered Shawn and himself to the floor and rubbed Shawn's back, trying to assure him he was going to be ok.

"Come on, Shawn… You got this far… Don't give up now… Do you hear me? Regain your composure, you son of a bitch…" Randy whispered.

Shawn slowly got a hold of himself. He rested his head against Randy's chest to try and clear his mind.

"Thanks for that, Orton…" He whispered back.

Randy nodded his head.

"It's fine, Shawn. Just remember you owe me one now." Randy stated as he helped Shawn stand up and patted him on the back.

Shawn nodded and looked down at the floor.

"Yeah…"

Randy suddenly noticed Shawn had cake on his face and in his hair.

"Whoa dude! Where'd the cake come from?" He asked.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"I was in the café with Paul, Shane and Bret… Bret and Shane went to see what they have for us to eat… And they came back with a cake. As I was looking at it, Vince and Blade, Bret's son, came up from behind me and smashed my face into it."

Randy groaned at the thought.

"That sucks, dude… And I'm guessing you're feeling relatively upset today? Cause you don't look yourself, Shawn… I know how you act by now, and this is not normal for you… I knew it as soon as I saw you walk out of the cafeteria. You looked like you wanted to kill somebody and cry at the same time… This is why I let you vent some anger on me… See, I know what it's like, Shawn… I know how you felt. So many emotions flying around your head that you don't know which one to listen to first," Randy saw that he was actually getting through to Shawn and he didn't seem like he was going to turn and run away.

"Do I have you right so far," Randy asked, making Shawn nod his head yes.

"Do you want to talk to me about it, Shawn? I know you haven't spoken much to Paul, Vince, Shane and Steve… But I know what's going through your mind, and I can help you."

Shawn sighed.

"I feel… Conflicted." Shawn started off, making Randy raise an eyebrow.

"What? How so?" He asked.

"Well… You see… Austin Payne named an accomplice in court… But… He's not who everybody thinks he is…" Shawn paused once again.

Randy's face suddenly became very serious.

"Tell me you know who it is… And you're not saying anything…" He slowly stated.

Shawn sighed.

"Yes, I know who it is… And I want to tell Paul, Vince, Shane and Steve who it is… But… I can't..,"

When Shawn saw the odd look Randy was giving him, he sighed and continued.

"It… It bothers me… To think of what he did…"

Randy looked at Shawn with nothing but sympathy in his eyes, which he quickly changed to a look of complete understanding.

"I know how that feels, Shawn… I wasn't able to tell the cops or my dad who snagged me until about a month after the fact," Randy paused and exhaled deeply.

"If it's really important that they find out who it is, you should tell them right away." Randy stated.

Shawn looked at him.

"What do you mean by 'really important'?" He asked.

"Well… If it's really important… Meaning if it'll affect everyone… You know… Matter of life or death… And… If the person is really close to you," Randy looked down at Shawn, who was looking down at the floor.

"Is this guy Austin Payne named as an accomplice close to you now?"

Shawn looked up and met Randy's gaze. Shawn looked back down again and exhaled deeply. He nodded his head yes.

"Mmhmm…" He replied, not really wanting to say anything else.

Randy's eyes widened.

"Shawn… Please… You have to tell somebody!"

Shawn sighed and looked up at Randy. Shawn hated the look Randy was giving him. He looked somewhat disappointed, but he mostly looked concerned.

"I can't promise anything… I mean… I wanted to tell them after the court case… But… They were so happy and I thought it would have been wrong of me to spoil it. It's been weighing heavily on my mind since then… I mean… I know I have to tell them, but I don't know how. Do you know what I mean?" Shawn asked.

Randy nodded his head.

"I most definitely do! I just think that if it's really important, you need to tell somebody… No matter what."

Shawn nodded his head and smiled his thanks.

"Thanks, Randy. I appreciate you looking out for me. You really helped me out… I owe you one." Shawn stated with a wink, making Randy smile.

"No problem, Shawn… And you bet your ass you do! I guess I'll catch you later." Randy nodded his head and went to leave, but Shawn grabbed him and gave him a hug.

Once the hug was over, Randy walked away, purposely in the direction of the cafeteria, where he noticed Paul standing in the doorway.

"How is he?" Paul mumbled.

Randy walked into the cafeteria so Shawn wouldn't hear the conversation. He took Paul by the arm and pulled him away from the door.

"Listen… I'm going to tell you this once. And I mean ONCE! You have to back off of him. He's confused as hell, Paul. And everyone being pushy for him to say something isn't helping one damn bit," Randy saw Paul was about to interject but raised a hand to hush him.

"Listen… I know what you're about to say. That bit with the cake before didn't help him one bit, and I hope to God you knew nothing about it."

Paul nodded his head no.

"Of course I didn't! I would've stopped them from doing it if I knew what they had in mind. I know Shawn hasn't been himself lately… I mean… Even for him now, his behavior is a bit awkward…" Paul stated.

Randy nodded his head.

"He's very confused, Paul. I've been there and done that. I hope my chat with him helped loosen him up a bit," Randy paused to look at the floor and exhale deeply.

He looked back up at Paul.

"Listen… If you're patient enough with him, he might have something important to tell you," Randy paused to look at his watch. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later." Randy stated and walked away.

Paul watched him walk away and waited a few moments before walking out of the cafeteria to look for Shawn. He found him not so far away from the cafeteria, sitting on the floor with his knees to his chest. His arms were folded on top of his knees, propping his head up. Once he noticed Paul walking over to him, he picked up his head and looked at him.

"Hey man," Paul stated as he saw Shawn looking at him.

Shawn nodded his head, saying hi with the gesture. Paul sat down next to him.

"Feeling better?" He asked. Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"Kinda. I guess I'll get used to getting pissed off when I'm not feeling myself… How are you doing?" Shawn asked.

Paul smiled and nodded his head.

_This is starting to sound more like Shawn…_

"I'm great, thanks. Glad you're kind of feeling better. So… What do you wanna do? Want to go back to the locker room and sleep?" Paul asked.

Shawn nodded his head no.

"Nope… Can we just walk around a bit?" He asked.

Paul nodded his head. He stood up and helped Shawn up, and the two were on their way.

When they were about to pass the main Raw locker room, John Cena walked out of it and stopped them. He smiled at Shawn and took a moment to narrow his eyes at Paul. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the two didn't like each other that much. He looked back at Shawn.

"How are you, Shawn? Sorry I didn't get to drop by last week… I was busy with my match and such," John paused and watched Shawn nod his head.

John sighed. He knew Shawn probably missed the ring.

"How are you?" He asked politely.

Shawn smiled at him.

"I'm good, thanks for asking, John. And don't worry about last week… I wasn't really in the mood for visitors…" Shawn replied.

"I bet everyone gave you an emotional speech and hugged the stuffing out of you!" John stated playfully, patting Shawn on the arm.

Shawn smiled and nodded his head.

"Pretty much… Man, I thought Dave was going to crack my ribs with that hug he gave me! He wouldn't let me go for quite some time."

John raised an eyebrow at that.

"Really? I never saw Dave get too emotional before. He's usually like a brick wall. But, that's just what I observed. I haven't known him for all too long. He went to Raw almost right after I came to Smackdown… So we really didn't get to bond that much." John stated.

Shawn chuckled.

"Hell… I've known him for 3 years and he shocked me with the way he acted! I guess it goes to prove you don't really know somebody until you see them go through a tough situation."

"That is very true, oh mighty Showstopper," John stated and pretended to bow down to Shawn, making him laugh.

John stood up normally again and looked Shawn in the eyes.

"You listen to me, Shawn… If you ever need anything you'd better let me know. I'll help you no matter what. I just want you to know that you've got a friend in me…" John paused and looked around with his eyes narrowed, mouthing the words 'you've got a friend in me' to himself.

Shawn chuckled.

"Ok, Buzz Lightyear. I'll keep that in mind." Shawn stated and chuckled.

John smiled at him.

"Don't make fun of me, Shawn…"

Shawn smiled and nodded his head.

"You're one weird cookie, Cena." He told the young man in front of him.

John posed like Superman, complete with a corny smile.

"Why thank you, Mr. Michaels. I'd rather be different then be like everyone else." He stated in a deep voice.

Shawn smacked his forehead at John's corniness and continued to laugh and shake his head. He was surprised Paul didn't find anything funny, mainly because he hated Cena and vice versa. Paul, like some fans and other workers in the WWE, thought Cena was a kiss ass, way too overrated and a poor performer. Shawn chose not to comment on the situation, being many newcomers don't have much experience. He knew from personal experience that it takes months to create your own style of wrestling, such as acquiring and using new moves. Paul argued by saying John wrestled in OVW and should have created his own unique set of moves, which is why the WWE hired him in the first place.

"Well… Where are you off to?" Shawn asked.

John stood normally, getting rid of the Superman pose and the corny smile.

"Nowhere, really. I heard you two talking in the hallway… And I just wanted to say hi and welcome you back and such… Mostly because I didn't get to see you last week. Dude, that friggin line of Superstars was long as hell! Chris Benoit was literally fighting with Randy Orton for being the first person in to see you. It was quite amusing. I also found out I had a match to prep for, so I couldn't hang around all too long… I was the second guy online when Paul said you were wrapping things up 'cause you were tired," John paused and sighed, then looked Shawn in the eyes again.

"I'm glad you did, because you looked really horrible… You looked worn down. You look much better now, though. Much more like yourself! Anyway… I'd better get going… I have to talk to Vince about something… I'll catch you later, Shawn," John paused to hug Shawn and patted him on the back.

"Welcome back, man. Take it easy, though. You're a man of skin and bones, not a Mack truck," John paused to pull away.

"Love you, Shawn. Take care!" He stated and walked down the hall to the cafeteria.

Mr. Kennedy walked over to them just when Paul was about to ask Shawn what he wanted to do next. He smiled at Shawn, than stuck out a hand for him to shake.

"Welcome back, Shawn. It's been really boring without you around… I hope you're feeling better and up to coming back to the ring when you're medically cleared to wrestle," Kennedy paused and waited for an answer from Shawn, however, he looked confused at who he was talking to.

"Oh, sorry. You probably don't remember me. I'm Ken Anderson… You know… Mr. Kennedy? Big Stone Cold Steve Austin fan?" He asked sarcastically.

Shawn smiled and shook his hand.

"Nice to re-meet you, Ken. Sorry about that, though. I kinda blanked out… I think I only met you once or twice anyway."

Mr. Kennedy nodded his head at Shawn.

"You're completely forgiven… It's my fault, anyway. I should have re-introduced myself as I came over here instead of just walking up to you and welcoming you back like a rude jackass," Kennedy paused and smiled at Shawn, then sighed and put his hands on his hips.

"Besides… I thought you remembered who I was… We worked together during SummerSlam." Mr. Kennedy stated.

Shawn nodded his head as if he remembered everything at that exact moment.

"That's right… Wow. I'm real sorry, Ken."

"It's ok, Shawn. It wasn't even your fault in the first place. It was mostly mine… As I said I was being rather rude before. I should've announced myself when I shook your hand instead of just bursting into conversation…" Mr. Kennedy once again apologized, making Paul roll his eyes.

_Ok, kid… We get it… You're sorry… Now stop kissing ass to the veteran and let us go on our merry way…_

Shawn nodded his head and smiled.

"Don't worry about it, Ken… It was partially my fault too, you know… Anyway… Paul and I have to get going. See you around some time." Shawn stated.

With a final handshake, Paul and Shawn were once again off on a walk around the arena.

"Paul! Shawn," The two men in question turned to see Shane running up the hall towards them.

Shane reached them and stopped short.

"Guys… My dad needs to see you ASAP. It's about the show," He informed them.

The two didn't look convinced.

"Come ON guys! The show starts in 20 minutes and the Corporation of D-Generation is going to be opening it!" He shouted, then grabbed Paul's arm and started dragging him the way he came, making Shawn follow reluctantly.

Once the trio reached Vince McMahon's office, Blade Hart ran up to Shawn and hugged him. He had grown since the last time Shawn saw him, which was about 9 years earlier.

"Sorry about before, Shawn… I couldn't help myself… And welcome back! It's really good to see you," The 16 year old shouted.

He let go of Shawn and pointed at his head.

"Ha-ha! You got a haircut! I just noticed it now. It looks much better than the 80's pretty boy long hair you had going on… That was starting to get annoying. Now you look kick ass," Blade turned at the sound of Bret clearing his throat.

He looked back at Shawn.

"Gotta go! BYE!" He shouted and ran out of the room.

Shawn, Paul and Shane watched him go, and then turned to look at Vince and Bret, who were equally confused.

"Don't mind him… He takes after his Uncle Owen," Bret suddenly stated as he rubbed his head.

"I will never understand that child… And Owen's kids came out perfectly normal… Figure that!" Bret stated, somewhat sarcastically.

Shawn gestured in Blade's direction.

"He had more time with Owen then his own kids did… Don't forget that," He stated and turned to look at Vince.

"Now what do you need to talk to us about?"

Vince sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"The show, of course. I was wondering if we should bring Bret in so he could do something. Maybe join the Corporation of D-Generation for a night," Vince paused and somewhat acknowledged the strange look Bret gave him, then sighed and turned his attention back to Shawn and Paul.

"What do you two think?" He asked.

Paul sighed.

"Well first we have to figure out what's going on in tonight's show. Is there anything on the card that Bret can get in on?" Paul asked.

Shane cleared his throat, making everyone look at him.

"I was thinking maybe we could announce him as a one night only Commissioner… And he can be introduced by the Corporation of D-Generation…" Shane was suddenly cut off by Shawn.

"That's not a good idea, Shane. Bret is supposed to hate all 4 of us… So why would we want to bring him out if that was so? We should make Edge and Randy bring him out. So that way the fans won't know he's on our side. He could play them and then screw them over later on in the night." Shawn stated, making Bret look over at him in shock.

"Holy shit, Shawn… Screw developmental, join the creative team!"

Shawn looked over at Bret and smiled, then nodded his head no.

"No thank you, Mr. Hart. I'd rather help guys be successful in this business. Maybe I'll join the creative team at some other time… But for right now we have to decide what's going to happen on the show later on." Shawn stated and turned back to face Vince.

Shane sighed.

"Well… I guess we can do that… And that would mean we have to schedule a match between somebody from Rated RKO's team and someone from the Corporation of D-Generation..."

Paul looked over at Shawn and saw how badly he wanted to volunteer for the match. It made him so upset that Shawn wasn't medically cleared to wrestle. What made him feel worse was that he was backstage, watching his friends have fun in the ring and he couldn't participate. Paul didn't want to rub it into Shawn's face that he was able to wrestle, so he looked over at Shane and hit him on the shoulder.

"Why don't you do it, Shane-O?" He asked, making Shane look at him wide-eyed.

"What? Me? Why?" He asked.

"Because… If you're going to stay in this feud between us and Rated RKO you have to get used to being in the ring more often. You haven't really been in the ring since 2003." Paul stated.

Shane narrowed his eyes at him.

"Excuse you, Mr. Levesque… I was in the ring against you and Shawn several times this year." He stated.

Paul waved a finger in Shane's face.

"That doesn't really count… Because almost every match was either a tag match or it had your daddy get involved. We mean business, Shane. Straight up one on one wrestling. You have to get more used to it whether you like it or not."

Shane looked over at Shawn with pleading eyes. Instead, Shawn shrugged his shoulders at Shane.

"Listen, kid… Paul is right. You do need more practice in the ring. You have to get into shape, Shane… Especially if you want to stay in the feud and take part in it. Go into the ring tonight and pretend it's a warm up match," Shawn saw the look Shane was giving him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt then shook him back and forth.

"Listen here, kid! If I could wrestle I would! You have no idea how envious I am of you right now! You have the ability to wrestle, Shane… And you don't want to… Do you know how mad that makes me? I'm dying to get into that ring again… And you're taking it for granted," Shawn paused to let go of Shane and push him.

"Go train for the fucking match," He shouted in complete rage, making everyone stare at him.

Vince looked at Paul, who then looked at Shawn. Shawn was staring at the floor, his green eyes glistening with tears and his face beat red. They watched as the tears faded, the green eyes turned cerulean blue and the red faded back to its original color. Shawn exhaled deeply and looked at Shane, who was still staring at Shawn in shock.

"I'm sorry, Shane…" Shawn mumbled.

It was all he had to say. Shane was by his side in no time for a hug.

"Don't worry about it, Shawn… Think of it as a favor. We all know you needed to blow up on somebody eventually," Shane pulled away from Shawn and smiled at him.

"It's fine." He stated one last time and walked out of the room.

Shawn sighed and looked over at Paul, who continued looking Shawn in the eyes for a few moments before looking back at Vince.

"Shall we get ready for tonight then, Vin-Man?" He asked.

Vince looked at Shawn briefly before looking over at Paul again and nodded his head yes.

"Good idea, Paul. Go get ready for tonight." He stated and watched as Paul cautiously put his arm around Shawn's shoulders and led him out of the room.

Bret looked over at Vince with wide eyes.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Bret asked.

Vince shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head.

"I don't know, Bret… I honestly don't know…"

Paul and Shawn walked down the hall to their locker room. They walked in and put on their D-X T-shirts in complete silence. Paul sighed as he watched Shawn pace around the room. He looked like he was having a mental battle with himself… Yet again. Paul wished Shawn realized he was able to tell him anything he wanted. It seemed that Shawn knew he was able to tell Paul anything, but he just didn't care. Instead he wasted time debating with himself over whether to talk to him or not. Paul stood up and walked over to Shawn, who was currently facing the wall with a lazy Superman pose, tapping his right foot and looking at the ceiling. Paul cautiously put a hand on Shawn's shoulder.

"Hey, man… You ok?" He asked.

Shawn stood normally and turned to face Paul.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I feel really bad for exploding on Shane like that, though… I hope he isn't angry with me…"

Paul sighed and smiled, trying to assure Shawn everything was ok. "You know what, Shawn… Shane was right when he said we all knew you needed to blow up on someone, you know, vent your anger a bit… It's true. You walk around like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. You need to ease up a bit. Tell us how you feel once in awhile. It won't piss us off," Paul paused and saw Shawn was seriously pending on telling him something important. "But did you see the look on Bret's face when you said that? Man that look was priceless!" Paul shouted and chuckled, making Shawn smile. "Yeah it was pretty neat," Shawn paused again and looked at the floor, then back at Paul. "Paul… I was talking to Randy before… And he said that if I had to tell you something important because it was a life or death situation, then I should… And I think it is really important for me to tell you this…" Paul listened as Shawn's voice trailed off because of a knock on the door. "H, Michaels, get up to the Gorilla. Shows about to start and you guys are up first. Hurry, the McMahons are waiting for you!"

Paul groaned and looked at hopefully at Shawn, wondering if he was going to continue or not. "Maybe some other time, Paul. Let's go, can't keep McMannequin waiting…" Shawn told him and walked towards the door. Paul growled and turned around. Shawn opened the door and exited the room, followed closely by Paul. They once again walked the halls in silence until they got to the Gorilla position. Vince and Shane looked over at them. "Fuck it all, Vince… He was just about to tell me something oober important! And then the dumbass stage hand has to come into the locker room and tell us you're waiting… GAH! Damn it all!" Paul shouted angrily. Vince sighed. "Sorry, Paul… I didn't mean to get you out here so early. I actually told Tim to tell you guys to be here in 5 minutes… But he was seriously about to tell you something?" Vince asked.

"He said when Randy was talking to him before he told him that if he had to tell us something important because it was a life or death situation then he should… He was about to tell me what he was talking about when the stage hand knocked on the door and told us to come here." Paul replied.

Vince groaned and smacked his forehead.

"I'm really sorry, Paul…" Vince was cut off by the vibrations and the sounds of the fireworks, which signified Raw was on the air.

Almost immediately after the vibrations stopped, D-X's theme song blared over the loud speakers. The Corporation of D-Generation made their way down the ramp to the ring. D-X did their usual in ring entrance while Shane and Vince grabbed some microphones. Once the fireworks were over, Shawn walked over to Shane and grabbed a microphone, then proceeded to run around the ring with it. He suddenly stopped and played a game a game of tug-a-war with Paul. He ripped the microphone from Shawn's grip and glared at him, then turned to look at the crowd.

"Are you ready," Paul paused and listened to the reaction from the crowd.

He shook his head angrily.

"NO! I thought this was Montreal! I said… ARE YOU READY," He shouted as he climbed the turnbuckle and situated himself on the second rope.

He was quite pleased by the response, so he hopped down and walked back into the middle of the ring with Shawn, Shane and Vince.

"Then… For the thousands in attendance… For the millions watching at home… And for Shawn Michaels," Paul paused and put a hand on Shawn's shoulder.

The crowd cheered for Shawn, making the original members of D-X look around the arena, completely confused as to what they were hearing.

"I'm sorry… But is that a… Pop… I hear going on for Shawn," Paul paused again as he and Shawn made corny faces and looked around the arena.

Sure enough, the 'HBK' chant got louder and louder. Paul and Shawn looked at one another with shocked faces.

"Wow, Shawn! I'm pretty darn shocked right now!" Paul exclaimed.

Shawn nodded his head.

"I know, Trips! You're not kidding!" He replied.

Paul exhaled deeply.

"Well… Where was I..? Oh yeah! And for Shawn Michaels… Who is back and better than ever," Paul looked at Shawn, who somewhat narrowed his eyes at him.

"Don't look at me like that your royal blondeness, I will kick you in the shin," Paul told him, making the fans chuckle.

Shane and Vince looked at one another and rolled their eyes.

"Anyway… Let's get ready to suck it!" Paul shouted.

Shawn stood up and kicked Paul in the shin, then smiled innocently.

"You snooze, you lose, Trips," Shawn turned to look at Paul again, who was hopping around on his good leg holding his sore shin.

He nodded his head in agreement to Shawn.

"Ah… The sweet smell of victory… Anyway… If you're not down with that, we've just got two words for ya!" Shawn paused and raised the microphone in the air.

"Suck it!"

Vince now took his rightful spot in the center of the ring, making D-X back away from him.

"Thank you for warming up the crowd, boys." Vince stated and looked back at Shawn and Paul, who nodded their heads at him.

"No problem, McMannequin. It's what we do best." Shawn stated.

Vince glared at Shawn for calling him 'McMannequin.' He returned his attention to the crowd.

"Anyway… Tonight… I'm going to make a special match… It's going to be Rated RKO's Edge versus my son Shane!" Vince shouted and patted Shane on the back.

Paul raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uhh… Is that all you wanted to come out here for, Vince?"

Vince turned his attention to Paul.

"Uh… Maybe... Why," He asked.

Paul sighed, and then smacked himself in the head.

"You made me and Shawn come out here with you and warm up the crowd… Just so you could tell them you're making a match for later on tonight between Edge and Shane? Vince, that's a waste of talent. That's a waste of potential… That's a… A…" Paul was cut off by Shawn.

"Travesty?" Shawn asked.

Paul snapped his fingers and pointed at Shawn.

"Yes! You bloody little genius! It's a travesty!" Vince looked like he wanted to strangle one or both members of D-X, and he would have if not for Rated RKO interrupting him.

Just like the week before, Randy and Edge stood at the top of the ramp with Big Show and Umaga. Randy looked as if he were about to talk, but Vince interrupted him.

"What the HELL do you TWO want?" He shouted over the microphone, making Shawn, Paul and Shane back away from him slowly.

Randy glared at Vince.

"Well, Vince… It's no secret that you have a lot of problems here in Montreal. Not only you… But all 3 men standing in the ring with you also have some sort of issue with the people of Montreal… Well… One person in particular…" Randy paused to smirk and look around the arena somewhat evilly.

Vince narrowed his eyes at Randy.

"What the hell are you talking about, Orton?" He asked.

"Oh come ON, Vince! You act as if you forgot what happened here during Survivor Series of 1997… Shall I remind you with a clip? Will that do you some good?" Randy asked and was about to gesture for the production team to play the clip of the ending to Survivor Series 1997, if it weren't for Shawn's voice interrupting him.

"Hey there, Randy. I think we all remember damn well what happened here in 1997. I won't lie. We all screwed Bret Hart. But you're just like almost everyone else who holds a grudge against us for what happened. Randy; that was 9 years ago. It's in the past. Give it up."

Edge narrowed his eyes angrily at Shawn.

"That's easy for you to say, Michaels! You're the one who left the arena with the title," Edge paused and smirked when he saw Shawn narrow his eyes and clench his fist.

"Anyway… I know somebody who refuses to get over what happened 9 years ago, no matter who apologizes and what is done about it. So… Without further ado… Let me introduce to you… The special guest commissioner for one night only… A man who is known as the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be… The 'Hitman' Bret Hart!" Edge paused and pointed towards the backstage area.

Bret's music blared over the loud speakers, closely followed by him walking onto the ramp. The roof damn near blew off the arena as the Montreal fans cheered Bret Hart one more time.

Randy handed Bret his microphone and stepped aside, allowing Bret to stare down at the ring at his rival.

"Shawn Michaels… Well, well… I never thought we'd be in this situation," Bret paused as Shawn moved Vince, Shane and Paul away from the ropes, allowing him space to stare down his rival as well.

"And might I say, you haven't changed much at all… Well," Bret paused to observe Shawn better.

"Except for a haircut and bleach job, followed by a few broken limbs, scars and bruises… But I'd like to think that those are the only things that are changed over the years… I mean… From what Randy and Edge have told me… You're still a self righteous ego maniac who should've been the one who has his career ended for good!" Bret shouted over the microphone.

"Well I see you haven't changed either, Bret… Except for a huge chip on your shoulder," Shawn replied.

Bret narrowed his eyes at Shawn.

"You know damn well why I have a chip on my shoulder, Shawn! I trusted you, you know! If you would have told me what Vince was planning on doing I would have…" Bret was cut off by a furious Shawn Michaels.

"Oh PLEASE, Bret! Spare us of a sob story! You know damn well that if the roles were reversed and if we were in San Antonio, Texas and I was the champion, and I was going to WCW, and Vince asked you to do what I did you would have done it in a heartbeat! So don't come out here and tell me that I'm the ego maniac! Because I know DAMN WELL you would have done exactly the same thing!"

Bret and Shawn continued to stare each other down, each waiting and daring the other to make a move. However, each man knew the other wasn't stupid. At the moment, Shawn wasn't physically fit to compete. Bret was never going to be able to wrestle again due to a stroke. They knew a physical confrontation wasn't likely, but a verbal confrontation was the way to go.

"We'll see, Shawn Michaels… We'll see… Anyway, I came out here to add on to the match that Vince made before. Instead of it just being Edge verses Shane McMahon in a one on one straight up wrestling match… How about we make it Edge versus Shane McMahon in a no holds barred match?" He asked, making the crowd cheer in thanks for a more exciting main event.

"Then it's settled, Bret. Me and Edge in a no holds barred match. Thanks for making my night more exciting." Shane stated, completely sarcastically.

Edge glared at Shane.

"You shut the hell up, McMahon… Or the main event will come early!" Edge shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Shane.

Vince growled at Edge.

"You watch your tone, Edge!"

"Can we stop fighting and act like civilized human beings for a few minutes? Come on, guys we're in front of a live crowd here… There are cameras and kids… You don't want to promote arguing for no apparent reason, do you?" Paul asked.

Everyone looked at Paul.

"SHUT UP!" They shouted in unison.

He pouted at the crowd and walked away from Shane, Vince and Shawn.

"Listen… I don't care what happens during the night. But I'd better not find out one of you is doing something to try and change the match! I won't stand for it! I made the match and it's going to stay that way whether you like it or not," Bret paused. "Oh yeah, and one more thing… I don't want to see either one of you backstage. You'll wind up in worse shape than having a black eye." Bret paused and stared at Vince, then walked backstage with Rated RKO.

Vince, Shane and Shawn looked at one another, then over at Paul.

"Who said we were going to change anything about later on tonight? I actually like the fact I was put in a no holds barred match with Edge…" Shane stated.

Shawn put a hand on Shane's shoulder.

"Kid… You should know by now that Bret likes to over exaggerate things a lot… His ego is bigger than your dads, if that's humanly possible," Shawn paused to hear some boos from the crowd. "Come on, you have to admit he was a bit full of himself. I mean… Look at me right now. Does it LOOK like I'm afraid of a black eye," Shawn paused and faced the camera.

He was still pale in complexion, which made the bruises and scars appear like a 3-D image. He turned his attention back towards the crowd.

"I didn't think so. Let's just say that the Corporation of D-Generation is afraid of nobody… And if you're not down with that, we've got two words for ya!" Shawn shouted.

"Suck it!" The fans once again shouted, and then seemed a bit confused as to why they just proved they were on the Corporation of D-Generations side.

The four men made their way backstage, only to come face to face with Bret, Randy and Edge.

"Do we need a battle plan for tonight or is this all improv?" Edge asked Shane, who chuckled.

"All that matters is towards the end of the match, Bret is going to do a run in. He's going to knock you out cold and make it so that I win. It's the whole 'you never saw this coming' double-cross stunt. You get my drift, I hope." Shane stated and gestured to Bret.

"Of course I do."

Vince nodded and smiled.

"Good… At least somebody does…" He stated and watched as Shane turned to look at him angrily.

Randy rolled his eyes at the two.

"Now now, boys… Be nice..," Vince looked at Randy strangely, so he continued. "You used to say that to me, Shane and Dwayne when we were growing up… Remember?" He asked.

Vince put a hand to his chin, then suddenly nodded his head yes.

Once the plan for the main event match was constructed, the group of men broke up and went their separate ways. Randy and Edge went towards their locker room. Bret, Shane and Vince went to Vince's office. Shawn and Paul slowly made their way back to their locker room. Instead of walking in silence again, Paul decided to strike up a conversation.

"That was a really good heated argument between you and Bret before… Wow I was getting chills! It sounded like you actually hate each other!" Paul stated, making Shawn chuckle.

"I guess that was the part of us that still hate each other talking… I was impressed as well. I didn't mean to sound so harsh… But I guess the old Shawn Michaels still hates him… And that part of me decided to show tonight…"

"Don't worry about it, Shawn… Bret showed the harshness right back to you. It was a really good fight, though… Especially for not being scripted. I think the fans were convinced that you and Bret will remain rivals for the rest of time… Good job with the fight."

Shawn smiled at Paul.

"Thanks." He replied.

There was once again an awkward silence between the two.

"So… What were you going to tell me before, Shawn? It seemed pretty important and I was really mad that we were interrupted by some stupid stage hand." Paul stated.

Shawn chuckled.

"Maybe some other time, Paul… I think I'm gonna take a nap."

Paul opened the door to their locker room and ushered Shawn in, then shut and locked it behind him. Shawn walked over to a chair and sat down in it with his legs over the arm of it. Paul watched as he drifted off to sleep, then took out his cell phone and started text messaging his brother in law. He knew it would piss Shane off eventually. The one thing Shane hated more than anything was text messaging people, mostly because he usually didn't type the right word in. Paul chuckled as he read Shane's response.

'Duck off, I'm trying tom wosk.'

He literally began laughing out loud until he remembered Shawn was in the room. He started coughing and cleared his throat.

'Nice one dipshit. I think I should teach you how to use the keyboard on a cell phone. Maybe you need a Sidekick. That way you'll be able to use each letter like a computer keyboard.'

Just when he was about to give up on Shane and toss his cell phone in his gym bag, it vibrated.

'I am not belk rinne illiterave you ifiot!'

Paul once again laughed out loud at Shane's inability to text message. It was pretty damn funny, especially since Shane was a graduate of Boston University. He _should_ be good at text messaging, especially since he has to be up to date with all the new technologies. But then again, Shane never really used his cell phone for anything other than phone calls, so he was excused for now. 'You're such a loser… Wake me up when it's time for your match. I'm gonna take a nap.' Paul put his cell phone in his pocket and lay down on the couch. He stared at the ceiling for a little while, wondering what Shawn was about to tell him.

_Maybe it has something to do with that Theodore Rodriguez character that Austin Payne mentioned in court..?_

Just when Paul was about to continue thinking about the possibilities, his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, ok. I guess I have a lot of explaining to do…  
1) College! That should be a good enough explanation as to why I haven't updated in awhile. Besides, this chapter was only on my laptop, and I try to use my desktop to get work done at home.  
2) Speaking of laptop… Last week I had an… Incident… And it resulted in me having to get a new hard drive for my laptop. Thank God St. John's University didn't charge me for it!  
3) I ran out of ideas. I didn't want to make this chapter long… Which it is… But it would have been longer if I continued with everything I want to get done… I don't know what I'm going to have happen in the match yet… But the aftermath of the match is going to be pretty damn interesting.  
4) I demand that all of you enjoy your holiday! So go ahead, enjoy!**

**Edit: The new chapter name is a line in the song 'Seventeen Forever' by Metro Station.**


	24. The Soul Is Not So Vibrant

Dark Reflections

Chapter 24

The Soul Is Not So Vibrant

About an hour or so later, Shane made his way to the original D-X locker room. He was in his wrestling attire, which consisted of a black and green Shane O Mac jersey, black sweatpants and black Nikes. He once again cracked his elbow, a bad habit he had been trying to break ever since he first stepped into a WWE ring as a wrestler. He finally reached his destination and knocked on the door several times.

"Paul? Shawn? Come on, it's almost time for the match," He paused and waited a little while, then knocked again.

"Come on guys. Enough playing around," He paused again and jiggled the handle, which only told him that the door was locked.

"Dammit…" Shane paused again and walked back to Vince's office, where he grabbed his cell phone and once again walked back to the D-X locker room.

He called Paul's cell phone and was pleased to hear it ringing, except he was almost deafened by the personalized tone that played while he was waiting for Paul to pick up the phone. The tone ended, signifying the phone had been picked up.

"Hello?" Paul groggily asked.

"It's Shane, you evil son of a bitch. You told me to call when it's almost match time. Well you have about 10 minutes to get your ass up, wake Shawn up, and make sure you two look pretty damn decent before stepping out there in front of the fans with me. By the way… Your ring back tone SUCKS! GOODBYE!" Shane growled, much like his father, and hung up the phone.

He turned to leave but heard the not so nice sound of a door opening from behind him. He turned to face the door and saw Paul standing there, not looking too pleased. Paul reached towards Shane and grabbed him by the nose, then pulled him close.

"If you EVER scream at me on the phone again… I WILL hook a set of jumper cables to a battery and to your jewels… And give you the SHOCK of a LIFETIME! GOT THAT?" He shouted.

Shane did nothing but narrow his eyes at Paul, who replied by letting him go. Shane stuck his middle finger in Paul's face and walked away.

Paul walked back into the locker room and slammed the door shut, which made Shawn jump up and fall off the chair, landing hard on his ass. Paul saw Shawn land at his feet and stared at him for a little while before bursting into hysterics. Shawn sighed and stood up, then proceeded to walk around the locker room to get the feeling back in his legs. Paul sighed and decided to get his comb and brush his hair. Shawn didn't have that problem anymore. All he had to do was get hair gel and rub it on his head. He washed his face as well and waited for Paul to finish up making himself look presentable to the crowd. Once he was done, he looked over at Shawn.

"Ready?" Shawn asked.

Paul nodded his head yes, so the two were once again off to the Gorilla position to meet up with the McMahons.

Vince turned to greet Shawn and Paul.

"Hey guys. What took you so long?" He asked.

Paul exhaled deeply, staring at Shane while he did so.

"Well I had to straighten up… And Shawn decided his hair wasn't spiky enough, so he added more gel to it and washed his gross face." Paul stated, receiving an evil glare and a punch to the shoulder from Shawn.

"Up yours, Pinocchio." Shawn retorted and smiled evilly, making Shane turn around to try and hold in his laughter and block Paul from seeing him express how funny he thought Shawn's statement was.

The Corporation of D-Generation's music was cued, making Shane run to the front of the group so he could be the first one through the curtains. He danced his usual unique way with Vince walking not so far behind him. Shawn and Paul were a little further away from Vince, arguing amongst themselves. Shane rolled into the ring and did his little shuffle, then stood behind Mike Chioda and waited for Rated RKO to come down to the ring, but, more importantly, for Edge to enter it.

Rated RKO's music was cued, making Randy Orton and Edge walk onto the ramp. They suddenly paused about half way down, and then turned to look at the curtains. Bret Hart walked out, closely followed by Umaga and Big Show. Edge ran down the rest of the ramp and slid into the ring, only to start exchanging fists with Shane. Vince, Paul and Shawn kept their eyes on Randy, Umaga, Big Show and Bret, especially once they walked down the rest of the ramp way and stood on the opposite side of the ring from them. Shawn and Bret were locked in a stare down; the two didn't take their eyes off of one another, even when somebody tried talking to them to distract them.

"You think Shane's wrestling will improve?" Paul asked Shawn.

He knew Shawn was listening to him, even though his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Probably... But then again you never really know. The only way to get better is to practice. A no holds barred match is the wrong type of match to get wrestling experience in." Shawn replied, still not taking his eyes off of Bret.

Vince noticed this and sighed.

"Wow. You two are really good at pretending like you hate one another."

Vince saw Shawn's eyes look at him briefly before looking back at Bret.

"Who said we're faking, Vin Man?" He asked.

Paul and Vince looked at each other, then over to Bret, and finally back to Shawn.

"Well after you two got along so well before… It's hard to imagine that you two still hate each other. Were you just playing nice? Or were you being truthful?" Vince asked.

Shawn sighed.

"It's hard to tell, Vince. I have a lot of different things going through my head right now. It's difficult for me to concentrate on one emotion. But… I think that I'm nice to Bret because he's trying to be nice to me. I'm returning his sincerity. He did snap a few times, but not too bad, mostly because he knows I've been hurt worse than he could ever imagine," Shawn paused again.

"Besides, I think there will always be a part of me that hates Bret and vice versa. We had a personal feud going on, and the Screwjob just made everything worse. Sure, we'll get along for your sake, Vince. But if he says something, I'm going to return the fire. You know how I am." Shawn stated.

He noticed Bret took his eyes off him, so Shawn turned to look at Vince to confirm what he said with the determined look in his eyes.

Vince sighed, smiled at Shawn and nodded his head.

"Yes, I know how you are by now. I just hope you two learn to keep a civil tongue with one another from now on… You two get along rather nicely, even though it's mostly forced…" Vince paused and thought back to his conversation with Steve when they were in the hotel the day Shawn was released from the hospital.

_Thinking of Bret Hart just increases those feelings…_

He was never one to believe in premonition or psychics, but he wondered… Bret was always so out spoken over the years, especially about the Screwjob. He publically expressed his hatred for the WWE, the McMahons, Shawn and Paul. Especially Shawn. Why would he let everything go and act civil to Shawn almost out of nowhere?

"You ok Vince?"

Vince snapped out of his daydream and saw Paul looking at him with curious eyes. He looked over at Shawn and saw he was staring at the action taking place in the ring.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Paul nodded and turned his attention to the ring. Edge was beating the shit out of Shane.

_What a surprise…_

Shawn threw his arms up in disgust when Shane didn't dodge an obvious attack.

"Jesus Christ somebody needs to train this kid… Give him some common sense or something!" Shawn shouted, making Paul laugh.

There was nothing funnier than a highly agitated Shawn Michaels.

Vince smiled as Shawn looked over at Paul and narrowed his eyes, and then turned to look at the ring. He found it amusing that Shawn and Paul acted like brothers. Or an old married couple. Whichever worked. Sometimes they bickered like a married couple, sometimes they messed around like brothers. But Vince knew that they loved each other more than anything, and Paul would do anything for Shawn… Including a tease now and again…

"Ok! First thing tomorrow morning! Say about 4 AM? That good enough for you, Shawn? I'll wake your lazy ass up and we'll take Shane for a 5 mile jog. Then we can work out and go to the practice ring and teach him a few moves!" Paul stated.

A huge smile came across his face as he saw the extremely pissed off Shawn Michaels turn to face him.

"Your fat ass can't even JOG 2 miles, let alone 5!" Vince broke into a coughing fit to avoid laughing, but both members of D-X knew Vince was laughing on the inside.

He was that predictable to them by now.

Vince decided to look in the ring and saw Shane and Edge were setting up for the moment when all hell would break loose. He waited for that one moment and watched out of the corner of his eye as Randy got ready on the other side of the ring. Paul and Shawn even semi stiffened up. Edge Irish whipped Shane into the ropes, allowing Randy the opportunity to trip Shane. Vince ran around the ring and yelled at Randy for interfering. Umaga approached them and looked back and forth before finally punching Vince in the mouth. Paul ran over to the group and punched Umaga, then grabbed him and tossed him into the Big Show. Orton, of course, ran up the ramp way to avoid getting hit. Shawn took advantage of the fact the match was no holds barred and slid into the ring to deliver some Sweet Chin Music to Edge, his first superkick since his return. Shawn looked up after the superkick and smirked at the fans, then turned around to see Bret was in the ring.

Holding a steel chair.

The first thing displayed on Shawn's face was panic. He didn't know if Bret was going to hit him or not. He remembered Bret would be turning on Rated RKO and joining the Corporation of D-Generation, but the situation still freaked him out. He knew for a fact that if the tables were turned, he would probably hit Bret as hard as he could with the chair. Shawn and Bret stared each other down.

"You're such a little prick. I'm finally getting you alone. There's nobody to help you out now, Shawn. It's just me, you and this steel chair." Bret stated between gritted teeth.

Shawn looked around the crowd with his eyes, and then settled them on the steel chair in Bret's hands. He suddenly flashed back to Jamie holding the 4x4 over his head while Robin watched. He tried to shake the image out of his head but he couldn't pull it off.

_Shit, why is this happening to me now?_

Shawn saw Edge struggling to stand up and noticed he was blocking Bret from his target.

Shawn fell over just as Bret swung the chair wildly to knock Edge out. Shane rolled into the ring and crawled over to Edge. He pinned him for the 1-2-3. Vince and Paul slid into the ring and stared at Bret, who put the chair down and kicked Edge out of the ring. Paul and Vince walked over to Shane and helped him up, then turned to look at Bret again. Bret was looking down at Shawn, and then slowly extended his hand for Shawn to grab. Shawn hesitantly took Bret's hand and pulled himself up.

"Nice move, Bret." Shawn stated and gestured to Edge.

"Ah… I can't hate you forever, can I?"

The five men raised their arms in victory, before finally heading backstage.

"That was a lot of fun!" Shane shouted happily, pumping his fists in the air.

Paul and Shawn looked at one another. They both charged at Shane and knocked him down.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Vince asked.

Paul and Shawn looked up at him and smiled innocently.

"Proving that Shane can't fight," Shawn stated as he stood up and helped Paul up to the best of his abilities.

The two dusted themselves off before helping Shane up.

"First things first, kid… You have to train harder. I know the match was completely scripted and the idea of it was pulled out of our asses last minute… But there were a lot of technical errors on your part. And… I kind of feel like I'm responsible for your in ring actions… So… Me and Paul are going to train you."

Shane looked at Shawn like he was insane.

"Train me? Shawn, you can barely throw a punch with your right arm." He shouted, gesturing to Shawn's arm as he did so.

Shawn narrowed his eyes at Shane.

"Do you honestly think I can't throw a punch with my right hand, McMahon? I can show you otherwise if you doubt me that much." Shawn balled his right hand into a fist and went to swing at Shane, but Paul grabbed Shawn's right arm to stop him.

"Oosa, Shawn. Relax… I know you're angry, but I don't think Shane is worth it." Paul stated, making Shawn look over at him, then nod his head and lower his arm.

"You're lucky Paul is here, McMahon…" Shawn mumbled, more to himself than anyone else standing near him. Shane sighed and looked at his father.

"What's on the schedule now, dad?" He asked, sounding a little agitated and tired at the same time.

Vince and Bret looked at one another, kind of relieved that no fists were exchanged between Shane and Shawn. Bret was almost positive that, no matter how bad Shawn was hurt, he would still be able to beat the shit out of Shane… With or without the full use of his right hand.

"Well," Vince's voice grabbed the attention of Shawn and Paul, as well as Shane.

"We need to stay here to discuss future manners… Bret might be re-joining the World Wrestling Entertainment as a Commissioner… And I would really like you to stick around for it, Shane," Vince paused to glare at his son, who gulped and nodded his head.

"However..," Vince paused to look over at Shawn and Paul.

"I don't really think I need you two tonight… So you can go back to the hotel." He stated with a small smile, which made Paul smile brightly.

"Finally! Thanks, Vince," Paul paused as he came to the realization that neither he nor Shawn had a car at the arena.

Shane drove them from the hotel.

"Shit… We don't have a car…" Paul mumbled.

Shane scoffed and nodded his head, looking half conscious as he did so. Paul kind of felt bad that Shane had to stay, whereas they were allowed to leave.

"You two can take my car… If you're willing to come to my dad's office so I can give you the keys…"

"That is a great idea. You can do that and waste about 10 minutes, or I can drive you guys to the hotel." Shawn's eyes widened and he froze in place at the voice coming from directly behind him.

"Officer Vasquez..? What are you..? Oh, never mind! Would you really be willing to drive these two to the hotel," Vince asked.

Officer Vasquez walked out from behind Shawn and nodded his head.

"Sure! Anything for you, Mr. McMahon. _Anything_." He replied, looking Shawn right in the eyes, making him look away as quickly as possible.

"I don't mind waiting for the keys…" Shawn stated.

"Be that as it may, Shawn, I'm tired as hell and we all know what happens when I'm tired, don't we," Paul asked and gave Shawn a certain look that said 'I want to get out of here.'

"That's really sweet of you to offer, Officer Vasquez." Paul stated.

Officer Vasquez smiled.

"Ah, it's the least I can do. I won't be going out of my way or anything… So it's fine. I'm heading that way." He offered.

Vince smiled.

"So it's settled. You'll drive them to the hotel. Thanks a bunch, Officer Vasquez." Vince stated.

Shawn cleared his throat, making Vince look over at him.

"Uh… Would you mind if I spoke to you, Vince? It's pretty damn important." Shawn stated.

Officer Vasquez spun around to look down at Shawn, who once again froze in his place and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Now, now, Shawn… Don't you think it'll be nice to take me up on my offer instead of being rude about it? You seem tired, why don't you just let me drive you back to the hotel so you can get some rest?" Officer Vasquez asked.

_And keep your goddamn fucking mouth SHUT!_

He mouthed at Shawn, absolutely positive that nobody else saw. Officer Vasquez stood up fully and adjusted his uniform.

"Yeah, Shawn… I mean… Come on! What could go wrong," Paul paused and waited for an answer.

_Everything…_

When he didn't get a verbal answer, he continued.

"It's just Officer Vasquez giving us a ride. You've met him before… He's a really great guy and he helped us out a lot while you were gone…" Paul stated.

He looked at Shawn again, this time giving him a pleading look. Shawn stared back with panic stricken eyes, but slowly regained his composure.

"I guess I can wait to talk to you, Vin Man… Let's go, Paul…" Paul smiled and patted Shawn on the back.

They waved goodbye to Vince, Shane and Bret and walked away with Officer Vasquez.

Within minutes, Shawn and Paul were sitting in the back seat of an undercover Dodge Charger.

"So… Shawn… I must ask… How does it feel to be back on the high roads in the WWE? You must feel really happy to be back with all your friends." Officer Vasquez half asked half stated. Shawn heard the subliminal message in his statement.

_And don't fucking ruin it!_

Shawn leaned against the window and looked out at the darkened streets of Montreal as they drove passed them. Paul looked over at Shawn and nudged his arm.

"Shawn? Officer Vasquez is talking to you. He asked you a question. Stop being rude and answer him." Paul stated.

Shawn narrowed his eyes at Paul, and then returned them to the window. Paul heard Officer Vasquez chuckle and looked forward.

"It's ok, Mr. Levesque. I've heard that Shawn likes playing hard to get."

Shawn narrowed his eyes as he stared. He was lucky that neither Paul nor Officer Vasquez could see the dirty look he was giving the window. He wished he would have listened to Randy Orton and told Paul about whom Officer Vasquez _really_ was. He guessed he didn't sound freaked out enough when he was trying to warn Paul by saying they should wait for the keys. Could Paul not take a hint? Or was Shawn not convincing enough? The possibilities were endless. He understood that Paul was tired, because he was tired as well. He knew how Paul got when he was tired. Even then. But Shawn knew that all of this was his fault. He should have told Paul about Officer Vasquez sooner. That would have saved them a lot of trouble. And now they were in the car with Officer Vasquez.

Paul looked over at Shawn and nodded his head, feeling ashamed.

"I'm really sorry about the way Shawn is acting, Officer Vasquez. He's usually not this rude to people who are trying to help him," Paul stated, glaring at Shawn as he did so.

Shawn looked over at Paul with an unreadable look in his eyes. Paul's glare suddenly faded as he put a concerned and curious look on his face as he looked at Shawn. He looked out the window and noticed something was… Wrong.

"Uh… This isn't the way to the hotel…" Paul stated, once he noticed they were in a somewhat woodsy area.

Officer Vasquez turned the car off, silently and swiftly took out his gun and turned to face the two members of D-X, then pointed the gun at them.

"Yeah? No shit. Thanks for pointing that out, Mr. Levesque. Get the fuck out of the car. Now."

Paul looked back at Shawn, who rolled his eyes and got out of the car like Vasquez told them to do. Paul sighed and got out of the car as well, walking around the back of it to meet up with Shawn.

"Fuck it all, Shawn… What's going on?" He whispered to Shawn.

Officer Vasquez approached the two and grabbed Shawn's arm, pulling him away from Paul.

"No talking between the two of you. I don't want to hear a fucking word." He stated as he pushed Shawn to the ground, separating the two members of D-Generation X.

Paul glared at Officer Vasquez.

"What the hell is this about, Vasquez?" He asked.

Vasquez took out a set of handcuffs and handcuffed Shawn's hands behind his back, then turned to look at Paul.

"You should have listened to Shawn more."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Paul asked.

Officer Vasquez chuckled and nodded his head.

"Are you the only one who can't take a hint from him, Paul? You honestly didn't hear the panic in his voice when he said he wanted to wait for the keys? You are some friend, Paul. Letting Shawn get close to me again…" Officer Vasquez replied.

Paul raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

Officer Vasquez knelt down and put the gun to Shawn's head.

"Why don't you tell him, Shawn," He asked, then yanked Shawn up off the ground.

He pushed the gun into Shawn's left temple.

"I said tell him, God Dammit!" He shouted, making Shawn wince, then look at Paul with panicked eyes.

"His name isn't Officer Vasquez… His name is Theodore Rodriquez. He's the accomplice Jamie named in court."

Paul's eyes widened.

"Fuck me…" He mumbled.

He started to put two and two together in his mind. Officer Vasquez's insane dedication to Vince McMahon and the WWE the night Shawn was taken from the arena and the weeks that followed. How he made Shawn feel so uncomfortable the night he came back to Raw in New York City. The tone in Shawn's voice and the lack of hesitation when he said he wanted to wait for Shane's car keys. It all made sense now. Paul looked up and saw Vasquez holding the gun to Shawn's head and sighed sadly. He watched with panic-filled eyes as Vasquez pulled his arm all the way back, then smacked Shawn in the temple with the gun as hard as he could. The sound of the gun hitting Shawn's head was sickening, but it didn't disgust Paul as much as hearing Vasquez's laughter as Shawn dropped to one knee and lowered his head.

"Jesus, Shawn… You haven't changed one bit… Even when you weren't handcuffed you still couldn't defend yourself,"

Vasquez knelt down and grabbed Shawn's chin, adjusting his head so the two looked each other in the eyes. Shawn's left eye was half open, partially split open and covered in blood from a gash.

"You're pathetic, Shawn. Always was, always will be."

"Get the fuck away from him!" Paul shouted, making both Vasquez and Shawn look at him.

"Shut the fuck up, Paul!" Shawn yelled, fearing for Paul's life.

Vasquez stood up and walked behind Shawn, grabbed a handful of his hair and held Shawn's head up so Paul could see what he looked like. Paul winced once he saw the gash on Shawn's temple, which also partially covered his eye.

"What's the matter, Paul? Does it bother you to see Shawn look like this? Hmm? Once is enough, right?" Vasquez teasingly asked.

Paul nodded his head.

"Once is enough, Vasquez… Leave him alone, please!" He begged.

Vasquez looked down at Shawn and raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm… I don't see why I _should_ leave Shawn alone… I mean… It's quite fun beating on him. Just like the old days, right, Shawny? You and I at Austin's house in Ohio… The joy of the good old days... So… Why don't you tell Paul to butt out of our game, huh? Tell Paul to leave us alone and I promise there won't be any real foul play like there was last time we met,"

Shawn winced as he remembered exactly what Vasquez was talking about.

"Say it, Shawn,"

When Shawn's mouth didn't open; Vasquez pranced over to Paul and put the gun to his head.

"God dammit, Shawn! Say it! Say it or you'll have to explain to sweet little Stephanie McMahon how her husband's brains had to be cleaned up with a sponge! I swear to God, I'll pull the trigger!" Vasquez shouted.

Shawn looked up at Paul with tears glistening in his eyes.

"Paul… Leave us alone… Please, Paul… For your sake. Go away."

Paul's eyes filled with tears as Vasquez lowered the gun and moved away from him.

"That's a good boy, Shawn. You know what'll happen if you go against my word,"

Vasquez put his gun back in its holster, then moved closer to Shawn and started to rub his head. He looked at Paul and smiled sadistically.

"Now, Paul… Depending on your cooperation… You either get to watch Shawn die or watch him get his ass kicked. Which one would you prefer? Short and painless or long and painful?" Vasquez asked.

Paul looked down at Shawn's face and saw the emotionless look on his face, then looked up at Vasquez.

"Neither. You and I are going to fight. If I win, you let Shawn go. If you win… We're both yours to do with as you please." Paul stated.

Shawn's face twisted with anger.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Paul? Get the fuck away from here! You don't want to get involved with a sadistic asshole like Vasquez! He…" Shawn's voice was stopped short by Vasquez's fist connecting with his mouth.

"I said… Leave him ALONE!" Paul shouted as he narrowed his eyes angrily.

Paul stormed over to Vasquez and punched him in the face, making the smaller man reel and almost trip over Shawn. The two continued to brawl while Shawn looked on helplessly. He wanted to help so badly, but how? His hands were cuffed behind his back and there was no way he could get the cuffs off. He watched as Paul suddenly fell to the ground clutching his abdomen. Shawn's eyes widened, hoping to God that Vasquez didn't shoot him. His silent hopes were answered by Vasquez emerging from the shadows with his night stick in hand. Paul rolled onto his back and looked up at Vasquez, who was about to hit him with the night stick full force.

"Stop it,"

Vasquez looked shocked to see Shawn kneeling down in front of Paul, blocking him from Vasquez.

"Leave him the fuck alone, Vasquez! It's me you want, right? Well come and get _me_! Leave Paul out of it!"

Vasquez nodded his head disappointedly at Shawn.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

He swung the night stick wildly, hitting Shawn in the head and watching as he fell back onto Paul. Paul grabbed a hold of Shawn and held his upper body.

"Jesus fucking Christ! Shawn," Paul ran his right hand along Shawn's head.

Shawn's dazed green eyes met Paul's concerned ones.

"Why the hell did you do that, Shawn?" Paul whispered.

Shawn smiled lazily, his eyes filling with tears as he did so.

"Love you… Gotta protect you…" Shawn whispered back.

Paul watched once again as Shawn's eyes rolled to the back of his head, making the tears spill down his cheeks. Paul looked up at Vasquez with nothing but hatred in his eyes. He moved out from under Shawn and slowly placed him on the ground.

"You… Fucking prick! How dare you do that?" Paul shouted and once again charged at Vasquez.

The two rolled around fighting one another.

"He had it coming to him, dammit," Vasquez shouted.

The two rolled towards the Charger and continued their fight. Paul stood up, dragging Vasquez up by his hair as he did so, and rammed him into the car. Vasquez once again hit Paul in the abdomen, this time with his knee, and slammed Paul's head onto the hood of the Charger several times. After the fifth shot, Vasquez stood back and watched as Paul stumbled forward and bonelessly collapsed to the ground. Vasquez bent over; regaining his composure, then stood up in victory and pranced over to Shawn.

"I'm not finished with you yet, Michaels…"

Vasquez grabbed Shawn and dragged him further away from Paul, who was laying about 3 feet away from the Charger. He proceeded to beat the shit out of Shawn, kicking him repetitively in the sides and in the back. As he grabbed a hold of Shawn's belt and straddled Shawn's legs, he heard a gun cock behind him.

"Get the fuck off of him."

* * *

**A/N: Well! Here it is! The chapter I've been waiting to write for almost two years. This is the one… I've had so many dreams about this chapter and spent so many different nights acting it out to get every detail perfect!  
Of course, it took me a long ass time to write this chapter. Mostly because I couldn't decide if I wanted the attack by Vasquez to be in Montreal or in the United States… I decided on Montreal because the chapter was becoming extremely long and I decided to break it in half, much like what I did with the Return to Raw chapter. Not only did it take awhile for me to decide where the attack would go down, it also took me awhile to decide what was going to happen between the time the match ended and the time of the attack… My friend actually told me "fine...do the rape thing again lol." But I decided I couldn't have a rape scene between the McMahons, Paul and Shawn… LOL. That would be gross… So I went with the usual dramatic stuff. You get the deal, you read the chapter.  
But don't worry… This isn't the end!**

**Edit: 'The Soul Is Not So Vibrant' is a line from the song 'Psychosocial' by Slipknot.**


	25. Danger’s In the Air

Dark Reflections

Chapter 25

Danger's In the Air

"Get the fuck off of him."

Officer Vasquez quickly let go of Shawn's belt and turned to look at whoever was dumb enough to aim a gun at him when he was about to have his fun with Shawn. His eyes widened when he saw the person holding the gun wasn't Paul.

It was Shane McMahon.

Officer Vasquez narrowed his eyes as he stood up and raised his arms in defeat.

"Well, well, well... What I heard about you was a lie after all." He stated, trying to taunt Shane.

However, the young McMahon in front of him didn't seem too intimidated.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I'm talking about you being too much of a sissy to hold a gun, Shane. Word going around the locker room was that you refused to hold a gun while raiding Austin Payne's house to get Shawn back... Who, by the way... Seems to have seen better days," Officer Vasquez knelt down and grabbed Shawn's head and held it so Shane could see.

"What do you think?" He asked cockily.

Shane winced at the sight of Shawn, but kept his composure.

"You're a sick son of a bitch, Rodriguez," Shane paused when he saw Officer Vasquez's eyes widen.

"That's right, I know about your little secret, Theodore. You were hired by Austin Payne to allow him access to the backstage area. You let him slip passed you so he could sneak to the D-X locker room and pass himself off as an undercover cop. Thus, allowing him to snag Shawn and run off with him."

Officer Vasquez applauded Shane.

"Very good, McMahon. What gave me away?" He asked.

Shane exhaled deeply.

"After Payne named his accomplice in court the other day, I decided to go through your file. Let's just say I found out a lot of interesting information about you. You haven't been a part of the police department for 5 years because you were caught in an illegal drug scandal in Washington State. You were known as Theodore Rodriguez in those days... And when you moved to Iowa you changed your name to Pedro Vasquez. Did I leave anything out?" Shane cockily asked.

"Nope. Not a damn thing. I'm impressed, McMahon. You should have become a cop or an F.B.I Agent. Your intelligence is greatly needed in those work forces. Nothing but assholes working for the government, Shane. If they're not smart enough to run a background check on a cop they've never even heard of... I weep for the future of this country."

Shane scoffed.

"Weep all you want, whatever your damn name is. But you'll be weeping behind bars for what you've done to Shawn," Shane paused for a moment and watched as Officer Vasquez stood up once again to face him.

"I don't understand something." Shane continued.

"Oh yeah? What don't you understand?" Officer Vasquez asked.

"Well... If you 'weep for the future' of the country, why did you do something that every American is strictly against? Why would you assist a crazed maniac in kidnapping an innocent man and holding him against his will for approximately 2 months while beating him?"

Officer Vasquez looked at Shane with a look that suggested the answer to his question was so simple it was smacking him across the face.

"Just think carefully about that question, McMahon... What do you think the answer is? It's so simple. All you have to do is think carefully about it," Officer Vasquez paused and watched as Shane continued to stare at him, unwilling to try to think like Vasquez.

"Money, Shane. Money. Everything in this country is based off of it. The government controls it. The country lives and breathes money, Shane. Would you kidnap an innocent man for money? Of course you wouldn't, Shane. You're too kind hearted for that. You weren't raised that way. But if you were raised in a community that struggled for everything... Then you'd consider it. I know how wrong it seems. Kidnapping an innocent man is disgraceful. But... Shawn was not an innocent man, Shane. You know it. All the twisted things he's done in the past... Karma is a bitch, Shane. Eventually it's going to come back and bite you in the ass."

Shane narrowed his eyes at Officer Vasquez.

"I thoroughly agree. That's why you're finally going to jail for what you've done. You can spend some quality time with a lot of guys you don't want to spend time with," Shane smirked as Officer Vasquez grimaced and narrowed his eyes disgustedly.

"Oh? What? You don't like talking about your sexuality? I know damn well what you were about to do to Shawn. I can see that you don't like the thought of having that done to you by another man."

Officer Vasquez quickly and swiftly took out his gun again. He aimed it at Shane.

"Fuck you, McMahon. Fuck you! You... Sadistic son of a bitch! I don't want to hear you say anything else!" He shouted, making Shane's smirk widen.

"What's wrong, Vasquez? Still afraid to admit to your wife of 12 years that you like playing games with men?"

Vasquez waved the gun wildly in the air.

"Shut the hell up, McMahon! Shut up! Now... Put your fucking gun down so I can shoot you,"

When Shane didn't budge, Vasquez waved the gun again.

"I said put the fucking gun down, McMahon! Put it down now!" Vasquez shouted.

Shane nodded his head no.

"Not a chance, Vasquez. Not a fucking chance."

"Then die where you stand. I'm not afraid to pull the trigger." Vasquez stated.

"And you think I'm afraid to pull the trigger? Boy, have you got something coming at you!" Shane threatened, making Vasquez nod his head disapprovingly.

"Shane, Shane, Shane... Always biting off more than you can chew. But it's just like karma and Mr. Michaels... It's going to bite you in the ass."

Both men stared at one another, each daring the opposite to either fire their weapon or put it down. Shane sighed as he stared at Officer Vasquez. He should have shot him when he was straddling Shawn. No... He couldn't have done that, because Officer Vasquez would have fallen forward and probably hurt Shawn when he landed on him. Shane wouldn't have stood for that. He would never hurt a friend.

"Die slow, McMahon." Officer Vasquez sneered, making Shane scoff.

"I could say the same to you, Vasquez."

With that remark, both men pulled the trigger at the exact same time. The bullets hit their intended targets, knocking both Shane and Vasquez off their feet.

* * *

**A/N: Oh wow! The air is so thick here I can cut it with a knife! I was so anxious to write this chapter that I wasted little to no time getting it done.**

**How'd you like Shane for my choice? I know I made him come off as a wimp in other chapters, especially the one where Steve, Vince, Paul and Shane go to Austin Payne's house to get Shawn back. It was actually my plan since then to have him as the one who rescues Shawn from Officer Vasquez (yes, I even had that in mind when I was writing the other chapters!) Let's just say I like mapping out my stories before I actually write them.**

**I would also like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an extremely Happy New Year.**

**Edit: The chapter title, 'Danger's In the Air' is from the song 'An Angel' by Declan Galbraith.**


	26. Darkness is Falling

Dark Reflections

Chapter 26

Darkness is Falling

Paul slowly stirred around and opened his eyes. He put a hand to his head and attempted to rub the pain away, but realized it wasn't working. He slowly sat up and looked around. His eyes widened when he realized something.

It was quiet… Too quiet…

Realizing Shawn was probably in a shitload of danger; Paul struggled to his feet and walked around. He was wondering where Shawn went and knew he had to get to him as soon as possible. Vasquez being among the missing didn't help his paranoia at all. He searched around for several minutes before he finally tripped over something.

He felt around with his hands and made his eyes adjust to the little light he had and soon realized he had tripped over Shawn. Paul quickly realized that Shawn was unconscious and he had been beaten up by Vasquez. He felt his blood boil at the size of the gash on Shawn's face, running from his left temple to the middle of his eye lid. He put a hand on Shawn's chest and shook him lightly, trying to wake him up so he could talk to him. Shawn stirred a little, but didn't open his eyes. Instead, he rolled onto his side so his body weight wouldn't be pushing against the handcuffs, which were cutting into his wrists.

Paul rubbed Shawn's back.

"You're gonna be fine, Shawn… You're gonna be ok," He stopped talking once he heard rustling in the distance.

_Shit!_

He had almost forgotten about Vasquez. He whirled around to look for Vasquez but didn't see him anywhere, so he looked back down at Shawn.

"Shawn, I'm gonna go look around, ok? I'll be right back, I promise," He whispered, then stood up carefully and walked away.

He semi tripped over and kicked an object at the same time, so he bent down to try and find it and was relieved to feel a flashlight. Paul stood up and turned it on, silently thanking God that it still worked, and continued his search.

He moved the flashlight back and forth, trying to find any sign of Vasquez. Did he think the two members of D-X were dead and, as a result, decided to run for the hills? Or did something else happen that he wasn't aware of? It had to be the latter of the two, since Paul was knocked unconscious for an extended amount of time. He wasn't even sure how long he was out of it. All he knew was that his being unconscious left Shawn extremely vulnerable, and the fact that his hands were cuffed behind his back didn't help at all. He was shocked when he shone the flashlight straight ahead of him, and about 20 feet in the distance, he saw what appeared to be a body. Thinking it was Vasquez; he smirked and quickened his pace. Once he reached the person, his smirk faded and he felt sick to his stomach. He dropped to his knees and tried to fight back his sadness.

"Shane..,"

Paul looked a little further away from Shane and shone the flashlight in that direction, only to see Vasquez sprawled out on the ground, dead from a bullet wound to the head. Paul grimaced and looked back down at his brother in law, shocked and not knowing what to do about him. He saw Shane's eyes flutter and heard him groan.

"Shane-O? Shane, can you hear me? It's Paul… Please wake up… Look at me!" Paul shouted, putting a hand to Shane's chest.

He was about to shake him, but pulled his hand away like he had touched a hot pot on the stove. He looked down and saw his hand was covered in dark red blood.

_Oh fuck…_

Paul shone the flashlight onto Shane's chest and saw blood everywhere. He looked at his brother in laws face and saw he was awake and in an incredible amount of pain. He felt bad for Shane. He had never been shot before and he didn't know what he could say to calm him down. While going through a list of things to do in his mind, Paul absent-mindedly took off his coat, then his shirt and pressed it to Shane's chest, making him groan.

Shane closed his eyes and bit his lip to try and avert the pain, but to no avail. He had never felt like this before in his life, even when he had a serious case of the flu as a teenager. He opened his eyes and, once his vision settled, saw Paul in front of him, pushing a shirt against his chest.

_Yeah, like that's going to make the pain any better…_

Shane thought to himself.

"P…Paul?"

Paul's eyes shot up once he heard his name being called from below, and was glad to see the fog had somewhat cleared from Shane's eyes. He seemed more conscious now, and that meant he was more aware of what was going on… That couldn't be a good thing.

"Shane-O! Are you ok? How do you feel?" Paul asked.

_Wow. Dumb questions. Way to go, Paul!_

He thought to himself after seeing the look on Shane's face.

"Well… I… I feel like I got shot… And… On top of that… I feel like shit… Thanks… For asking…" Shane paused to cough, making Paul wince at the pain that must have tore through Shane's chest.

He looked down at Shane's chest and saw how awkwardly it was moving. Breathing was definitely a difficult task for Shane right now. By the looks of things, the bullet hit him in the sternum.

"Jesus Christ, Shane… What happened..?" Paul asked.

Shane took a few deep breaths to try and slow down his breathing to a normal speed. He looked at Paul.

"Well… I… I noticed that you and Shawn… Left without your stuff… So I got your gym bags… And followed Vasquez to the best… Of my abilities… Without making him know he… Was being followed… I saw… Him take a different… Turn… And knew he was up… To something… Besides… Shawn's voice… Hinted off he… Knew something about him… And… Dad and I got worried… Anyway… I stayed far back… So he wouldn't see me… And I watched everything… Happen from my car… After he knocked… You out… I saw him… He tried to… Do something to Shawn… So I confronted him… Told him about the stuff I read about him… How I… Knew he was… A phony… He got mad… And challenged me… So… We both… Let a shot off…"

Paul looked at Shane in shock.

"You mean… You knew the whole time that Vasquez was a fake cop and you didn't say anything..?" Paul asked.

Shane nodded his head.

"Not the… Whole time… And it… Wasn't my place to… Say Vasquez was… In on it… Shawn… Should have said something…" Shane replied, making Paul sigh.

He was right, as usual.

"Ok, ok… Do you have a cell phone? I need to call for help..," Paul whispered.

Shane nodded his head. He went to move his right hand but stopped at the immense about of pain that shot up his arm and into his chest. He groaned in pain, making Paul jump.

"Jesus! Are you ok? What do you need," He asked.

Shane closed his eyes and once again took several breaths.

"Phone… Right pants pocket…" Shane whispered back.

Paul nodded and, with a shaky and bloody hand, took his brother in laws cell phone out of his pocket. He flipped it open and silently thanked God Shane had Verizon. He called for help and was told by the operator that they were going to run a trace on his cell phone to get an exact location. Paul didn't care much, mostly because they needed help quickly. Once their location was reported to the police, Paul pocketed the cell phone and looked down at Shane.

"Help is on the way, Shane-O."

"T...Tell every…One I love them…" Shane whispered, and then weakly opened his eyes to look at Paul, who felt his eyes fill with tears.

"Don't talk like that, Shane-O," Paul whispered back.

He saw the fog was back in Shane's eyes. He was barely able to keep them open. Paul saw Shane was having a lot of trouble breathing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that. Hell, he didn't even know how long Shane was laying there bleeding to death before he woke up and found him. He was shot in the chest for Christ sake. And he knew the outcome of this. Shawn would blame himself, as he usually did. He hated the fact that a part of him knew Shawn was right to blame himself, but another part denied it and convinced Shawn that it wasn't his fault because he was traumatized. In all honesty, how long can he continue that charade?

Paul put a hand on Shane's face, which made his eyes lazily snap open again.

"Can you do me a favor, Shane," Paul asked, hearing his voice break.

Shane opened his mouth to answer but quickly decided against it and nodded his head instead.

"Hang on, ok? Please keep your eyes open… Come on, think of happy thoughts… You're gonna be fine, Shane-O, I just need you to stay awake…" Paul stated.

Shane was 36. He was married for 10 years to his high school sweetheart, Marissa Mazzola. They had two sons, Declan and Kenney. He was the Executive Vice President of Global Media. According to Paul, Shane was a kid with his whole life ahead of him. How the hell could this be happening to him?

He watched as Shane fought the darkness that was trying to consume him. He knew how hard it was to fight unconsciousness, just not how hard it was to fight unconsciousness while he was laying God knows where in Montreal with a bullet wound to the sternum and his brother in law trying to convince him he was going to be ok while he knew he was bleeding to death. He watched; trying to blink away his tears, as his brother in law started to choke up blood. Paul sat there, completely dumbfounded. He didn't know what to do or say. He just watched in horror as Shane's breathing got slower and more troubled.

The cops and the ambulance pulled up as soon as it looked like Shane had stopped breathing altogether. The cops helped Paul up and pulled him away as the paramedics loaded Shane onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.

"I thought you said there were two victims?" A cop half asked half stated, as most of them usually do.

Paul mentally smacked himself in the head. He forgot all about Shawn!

"Well there's a dead cop over there." Another cop stated and gestured to Vasquez.

The other three cops looked at Paul in shock.

"I know what you're thinking… We have a whole file on that guy… He's a phony who just wanted to get my friend alone." Paul replied.

"What friend?" A cop asked.

Paul walked over to where Shawn was and carefully pulled him up, then proceeded to half drag him over to the group of cops.

"This friend." The fourth cop pointed his pen at Shawn.

"Isn't that Shawn Michaels?"

Paul raised an eyebrow at the cops.

"Yes..?"

The only thing he saw was the blur of police uniforms running back and forth helping the paramedics with Shawn and Shane. He saw how quickly they worked, especially when trying to get the handcuffs off of Shawn. As if the cops didn't move fast enough, they also spoke faster. The only thing Paul heard was the word 'call.' And that word only meant one thing…

He _had_ to call Vince.

* * *

**A/N: Well another chapter done. Sorry this one is short, but I think it's the perfect size for an in-between chapter. The next one will be better.  
Oh, I realized that in an earlier chapter (most likely chapter 3) I had Shane say his sons names were Declan and Kennedy. I've learned that his youngest sons name is actually Kenyon, which shocks me since Kennedy would have been a much more appropriate choice in my mind. Anyway, according to my sources, the child is nicknamed 'Kenney,' so that's what I'll be referring to him as…**

**Edit: The chapter's title, 'Darkness is Falling' is a somewhat altered line from Randy Orton's theme song, 'Voices,' by Rev Theory. The line is 'I see darkness falling.'**


	27. What Really Matters is the Blame

Dark Reflections  
Chapter 27  
What Really Matters is the Blame

Paul sat in the back seat of a squad car, which had its sirens blaring and lights flashing, and was speeding through the streets behind an ambulance heading to the hospital. He sighed and looked down at his shirt, stained dark red from blood. His brother in laws blood. He felt tears stinging in his eyes as he remembered how weak Shane was. How pale he was, how he struggled to breathe and talk… How he coughed up blood and eventually stopped moving altogether, his eyes staring straight up, fixed on only God knows what. Paul blinked away the tears and silently begged God to spare his brother in law.

_Come on, the guy has 2 young kids and a beautiful wife, let him live…_

His thoughts brought him to Shawn, the man currently lying next to Shane in the ambulance. He didn't know what Vasquez did to him, but he knew it had to be bad. He was handcuffed after all. Not to mention unconscious. He saw Vasquez hit Shawn with the gun… Then he hit him and knocked him unconscious with the night stick. Paul shuddered as he remembered watching Shawn pass out again, the unshed tears sparkling in his eyes. The 'I love you, Paul… I gotta protect you…' comment that escaped Shawn's lips before he lost consciousness.

He vaguely heard the cops talking to one another, saying how sad of a situation it was. Paul looked down at the floor and silently agreed with them, once again begging for Shane's life.

_He shouldn't have been there… Please… Spare him… He didn't do anything wrong… He's a good kid… Don't take him from his family, they'll fall apart… Who else will make fun of his dad? Who else will his sister make fun of? Who else will protect his mother?_

Paul felt his leg being shaken, so he looked up at the cop in the passenger seat.

"Did you hear me," He asked, making Paul nod his head no.

"Oh… Did you call the father,"

Paul's eyes filled with tears again as he nodded his head no. The cop saw how upset he was and sighed.

"Look… I'll call him if you want, it's no big deal. I make these types of calls all the time... I wouldn't mind doing it once more…" The cop paused as Paul opened his mouth to speak.

"No… He'll feel even worse if you call… Vince is the type of guy that freaks out if somebody he doesn't know is calling him about his children… Especially his son…" Paul replied.

He and the cop sighed at the same exact time.

"So you'll call him?" The cop asked.

Paul nodded.

"Yes. I'll call him… He is my father in law, after all…"

The cop driving looked at the rear-view mirror at Paul.

"That kid is your brother in law?" He shouted, making Paul sadly nod his head.

Paul took out Shane's cell phone, which he ironically still had, and called Vince.

_Please don't be with Linda… Please don't be with Linda… Oh God, please don't be with Linda…_

"Shane? It's good to hear from you, I've been worried!" He heard Vince bark, which only made him feel worse.

"Vince… It isn't Shane. It's Paul…" He stated, his voice cracking and barely above a whisper.

He heard Vince mutter under his breath for a moment.

"Why the hell do you have Shane's cell phone? Where's my son?" He barked.

Paul knew he was starting to get nervous. Vince's voice got louder when he was scared.

"Listen, Vince… There was a problem… I need you to meet me at the hospital in Montreal. I'm almost there. Can you be there in 10 minutes?" Paul asked.

He heard Vince grumble again.

"Is Shawn ok? What happened to my son?" He asked.

Paul rubbed his forehead.

"Listen; just meet me at the hospital, ok? I'll explain everything when we get there. Is Linda with you?" Paul asked.

"No, and by God, you're lucky she isn't! I'll be there in 20 minutes!" Vince shouted and hung up, making Paul put the cell phone in his pocket and return his sight to the bloody shirt.

"God dammit, Shane Brandon…" He whispered, so low not even the cops turned to look at him.

Twenty minutes later, Paul was pacing around in the Emergency Room holding two clipboards, one for information on Shawn and the other for Shane. He knew all there was to know about Shawn and finished his quickly, but found himself struggling with Shane's. He was pacing to try and remember the information he knew but couldn't remember. He looked up just in time and saw Vince storm into the Emergency Room entrance and look around. Paul stared directly at him until Vince noticed him, and then walked over to him.

"What's the deal, Paul?" He asked as he eyed the clipboards.

He saw one was fully filled out. _Michael S. Hickenbottom_. The other… Just a name. _Shane B. McMahon_. His eyes widened as he looked back up at Paul.

"Why don't you take a seat..?" Paul asked.

Once they found a somewhat empty but mostly quiet area, Vince sat down and looked at Paul.

"Lay it on me..." He stated, playing with his hands and staring at his son in law.

"Ok… Well… Vasquez was crooked. He was in on it the whole time, from when Payne went backstage to snag Shawn," Paul looked his father in law in the eyes.

He saw the tears built up, threatening to leak out.

"Shane found out… I don't know how, but the bastard found out… He said you two got nervous tonight when we left, so you sent him after us..?" Paul asked.

Vince nodded his head no and cleared his throat.

"No. Shane said he had to go. He said he was nervous about Vasquez and he would call me later. He ran to your locker room and snagged your stuff, then took off… Never said where he was going, just that he was nervous and suspicious…" Vince replied.

"Well, it's a good thing that kid showed up… Vasquez had us pinned down. He had a gun to Shawn's head and wanted to kill him right in front of me, he even handcuffed him."

"What happened?" Vince asked again, his voice cracking.

Paul sighed.

"Vasquez knocked me out and went after Shawn. When I woke up… Uh," Paul paused and put his head in his hands.

The tears were coming back again.

"I found Shawn unconscious… With his hands cuffed behind his back… Then I… I," Paul paused as his voice cracked and the tears spilled from his eyes.

"I found Shane..," Paul looked at Vince.

"With a bullet to the chest..," Paul heard Vince sniffle, and then saw the tears stream down his face.

"I… I felt horrible. I mean, I didn't even know how to help him. I tried to keep him awake, talked to him..," Paul sighed.

"He, uh… He said he loves you… And then he…" Paul's voice trailed off.

He couldn't say it.

"Oh God, no… Not my son…" Vince whispered, put his head in his hands and continued to cry.

Paul put a hand on Vince's shoulder.

"He's a stubborn, strong kid, Vince… He'll be ok." Paul paused when Vince looked up at him angrily.

"He HAS a name, God dammit! I didn't name him Shane Brandon for everyone to go around calling him 'kid'! Call him by his fucking name!" Vince shouted.

Paul hugged his father in law and let him cry on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Vince. I'm sorry..," Paul paused again. "He started choking up blood," Vince ripped away from Paul to look him in the eyes.

"He stopped breathing. Vince, if that was in the fields, and he's here and nobody said he was D.O.A… That means he's ok…"

Vince continued to stare at his son in law. All he saw through the tears was a tan blur.

"What about Vasquez?" Vince asked, rage filling him as the name came out of his mouth.

"Dead, from a bullet to the skull…" Paul replied, pointing to where Vasquez had been shot.

Vince raised an eyebrow.

"Wait a minute. How was he shot? It doesn't make sense..?" Vince asked, making Paul get slightly nervous.

He wasn't planning on telling Vince this part.

"Um… Shane… Shane had a gun…" Paul saw the fury in Vince's eyes.

"WHAT? What the hell do you mean, 'Shane had a gun'? Shane isn't stupid; he would never carry a gun on him! Shane even said it when we were going to get Shawn back… He doesn't believe in using or carrying a gun!" He shouted.

Paul sighed.

"Vince, I already said it. Shane knew Vasquez was crooked, he found out after the day in court. He said he pulled his file somehow… And he found out what Shawn knew but didn't want to tell us. He knew Vasquez was going to go after Shawn again… You know Shane, Vince. He believes in protecting his loved ones, no matter what it does to him," Paul paused and watched as Vince once again put his head in his hands.

"He said he followed Vasquez from the arena and laid back low so he wouldn't realize he was being followed… He watched, from a distance, Vasquez nail Shawn in the face with a gun, knock him out with a nightstick shot to the face, then take me out. He said he was about to do something to Shawn… But that's when he stepped in and stopped him… Told him what he read about him… God, I wish I was awake to protect him..," Paul mimicked his father in law and put his head in his hands.

"I can't believe he had a gun on him… He's so level-headed… Why did he feel the need to protect Shawn..?" Paul whispered to himself.

"You said it before, Paul… Shane'll do anything to protect his loved ones… No matter what it does to him…"

Vince and Paul once again looked at each other.

"Vince… He's going to be ok, you know that. He's a real McMahon-a stubborn fighter. He's going to be fine… Just give him time to heal." Paul stated with a sad smile.

Vince nodded his head, then suddenly got an idea, which lead to a scary gleam in his eyes.

"You said Shawn knew Vasquez was crooked..?" He asked.

Paul nodded his head.

"Yeah, Vasquez made Shawn tell me when we were..," Paul paused as he put two and two together.

"Where are you going with this?" He asked.

"Why the hell didn't Shawn tell us ahead of time who Vasquez was? Why did he keep it a secret all this Goddamn time?"

Paul shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Vince… I don't know how Shawn ticks anymore, but I do know he's running mostly on fear. He's afraid to talk, to express himself and release his emotions. He was afraid to ID Vasquez… Because he was working so close to us. He could have snagged Shawn at anytime, Vince. He could have shot him to death before, during or after a show. You don't know the severity of what happened to Shawn when he was at Payne's house…" Paul was cut off by a very agitated Vince McMahon.

"Why the hell are you defending him, Paul? He can't hide behind you forever. Because of Shawn's inability to overcome a fear that was beaten into him, my son is fighting for his life! You said he stopped breathing. He died once. How many more times can he come back?"

Paul watched as Vince started to break down again, this time he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Vince… I admit, Shawn was wrong to keep that information from us… But I already told you, Shane is going to be fine."

Vince narrowed his eyes angrily at Paul.

"That's mighty easy for you to say, Paul. It's not _your_ child in this situation. Shane was always such a good kid; it's hard to think that he would get himself into this… He never gave us any problems, Paul. _None._ You know… You never think your kid would do something along the lines of what Shane did tonight. I never imagined him holding a gun, nor did I ever imagine him getting shot. I hate seeing my kids in pain, Paul. I've seen Stephanie in emotional pain, never much physical pain. But Shane… I've seen him have more concussions and broken or sprained limbs than I've seen tears spill from his eyes… The only time I've seen Shane in real emotional pain was when Owen Hart died, and that wasn't a pretty sight at all… Paul… I hate seeing my kids in pain… Especially my son. It breaks my heart." Vince started off strong in the beginning, but his voice eventually faded to a whisper as he struggled to fight back tears.

Paul sighed.

"Vince… Shane is a part of my family. Sure, he's not my child, but he's my brother in law, and that should be no different. You honestly think I had no trouble watching him struggle for air back there? Do you honestly think I was fine holding a shirt to his chest while blood pumped out of him? I think I was more scared than he was. _I_ was the one crying, Vince. It was so hard for me to see Shane like that, in so much pain… I couldn't think of anything to do to help him, Vince… I tried everything… I'm sorry, Vince…"

Paul saw that Vince had re-set his jaw, which pretty much meant he wasn't going to say anything else on the matter.

_Which also means he's bottling up all his emotions… I feel bad for the son of a bitch he blows up on…_ Paul thought to himself, although he knew who that 'son of a bitch' would be…

_Goddammit, Shawn…_

Paul mentally smacked himself in the head. Once he looked up, he saw a nurse standing over them.

"Weren't you brought into the E.R. with Michael Hickenbottom and Shane McMahon?" She asked, making both Vince and Paul stand up.

"Yes, I was. Uh, this is Shane's father, Vince." Paul stated as he gestured to his father in law.

"Hello." She stated and smiled warmly at him.

"Hi… How are they..?" Vince asked, making the nurse sigh.

"Well… Mr. Hickenbottom is relatively fine; he just has a bump on the head and two nasty cuts on his wrists from the handcuffs. He'll be ok after a good rest… And the doctor is recommending psychiatric evaluation for him because he knows what's been happening lately… Not to mention, Mr. Hickenbottom's medical file is pretty thick," She paused for a moment, then sighed again and looked at Vince.

"Your son, on the other hand… I hate to be frank, Mr. McMahon… But it's not looking good at this point," The nurse paused again to watch as Vince's eyes once again filled with tears.

"The bullet cracked your son's sternum… We're not sure of the internal damage, the main priority was to remove the bullet and stop the massive bleeding…" Her voice trailed off when Vince looked at her with tears streaming down his face.

"Is he going to be ok..?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Only time will tell, Mr. McMahon… Your son is in C.C.U..," The nurse looked over at Paul.

"Your friend is down the hall, the doctor will escort you there shortly… I'll bring you to your son, Mr. McMahon." She offered, extending her hand to Vince, which he took.

He turned to face Paul, who nodded his head. Vince turned and walked away with the nurse, who put her arm around his shoulders.

* * *

Paul looked up from his spot on the bench and saw a doctor walking toward him.

"Are you Mr. Levesque..?" He asked.

Paul stood up and nodded his head, then stuck out his hand for the doctor to shake.

"Yes, that's me." He replied.

The doctor shook his hand.

"Well, hi there. I'm Dr. John Elwes. You're here for Mr. Hickenbottom, aren't you," He asked.

Paul nodded his head yes again.

"Ok. Follow me." He stated, making Paul do as he was told.

"So, uh… What's the matter?"

"Well, I was reading over Mr. Hickenbottom's medical chart and I realized that he's been through some serious emotional and physical trauma. I mean," The doctor stopped in the hallway, ironically outside of Shawn's room, and looked through the files, showing a particular page to Paul.

"Look at all the lacerations and broken, sprained or fractured limbs he was treated for in _one _day, Mr. Levesque. The doctor at that hospital in Ohio said that he refused psychiatric treatment… But after everything I heard from the news, I seriously think it's needed in this situation," Dr. Elwes saw Paul was about to object, so he held a hand up to silence him.

"Please hear me out, Mr. Levesque… Your friend has suffered a lot in the past several months, I really think he needs psychiatric evaluation to calm down and talk about the situation at hand. He needs it, Mr. Levesque. Why can't you realize that?"

"Because I know that, in time, he'll open up to me about what happened…" Paul was cut off by an irate Dr. Elwes.

"You seriously think that somebody who went through that much emotional trauma will open up about it easily? Mr. Levesque, ignorance sure is bliss on your part! You've been around him for almost a month so far, right," Dr. Elwes watched as Paul nodded his head sheepishly.

"What good did waiting around, thinking he would talk to you, do! Huh, Mr. Levesque? I'll tell you what it did. It made Mr. Hickenbottom sink deeper into his emotional rut and it got a young man shot in the chest! That's what your confidence in your friend did, Mr. Levesque. It's making a 36 year old fight for his life!"

Dr. Elwes' rant was stopped by a fist to the mouth. He fell on his ass and looked up at Paul in shock.

Once Paul realized what he did, he put his hands on his head and turned away from Dr. Elwes.

"Oh my God… I just punched my best friend's doctor in the mouth..," He paused to look back at Dr. Elwes.

"I am _so_ sorry for what I just did… I swear it won't happen again,"

Paul extended a hand and helped Dr. Elwes up.

"Once again, sorry. I just don't like the fact a stranger was telling me I pretty much don't know how to take care of my best friend."

Dr. Elwes sighed.

"Listen… I didn't intend for it to come out that way, I just got angry at the fact you kept… I don't know, you kept trying to deny the fact Shawn _needs_ mental help… Mr. Levesque… Trust me… He needs it badly."

Paul growled and muttered under his breath.

_This guy is really fuckin' asking for an ass kicking, isn't he? Doesn't he understand he has to shut the hell up if he wants to stay vertical!_

"Can I see him..?" He asked, balling his hands into fists at his sides to keep from exploding.

Dr. Elwes nodded his head.

"Of course," He stated, then led Paul into Shawn's hospital room.

His wrists were wrapped in white bandages. Dr. Elwes noticed the strange look on Paul's face when he saw them.

"Whoever put the handcuffs on his wrists put them on too tight, and it seemed Mr. Hickenbottom was lying flat on his back… It made the cuffs dig into his wrists… When I first saw how deep the cuts were, I thought he had tried to commit suicide… Boy, was I shocked when they said it was from handcuffs!" Dr. Elwes stated, trying to sound sarcastic.

Paul looked at him from the corner of his eyes and growled. Paul sat down next to Shawn's bed and put his head in his hands.

"Jesus Christ… What am I gonna do..? How the hell is Shawn going to react to what happened to Shane..?" Paul whispered to himself.

Dr. Elwes happened to hear the last part of Paul's statement and looked at him questionably.

"What do you mean, Mr. Levesque?" He asked.

Paul sighed.

_Guess I'll tell him everything…_

"Well… As you may or may not know, Shawn is a wrestler for the WWE, as am I… The 36 year old fighting for his life… Is Shane McMahon, the son of the boss of the WWE, Vince McMahon… Vince is my father in law; I married his daughter 3 years ago… Obviously making Shane my brother in law. Shawn was kidnapped and beaten within an inch of his life 3 months ago; he's only been back for about a month. He hasn't said anything that could help us figure out how it happened. The guy came backstage and passed himself off as a police officer, then snagged Shawn and left… The asshole named an accomplice in court like a week ago. Shawn didn't hint that he knew who it was, which he probably does… He's been traumatized to the point where he refuses to say anything. Anyway, we left the arena in Montreal with the cop who's been helping us for the 2 months Shawn was gone, this Officer Vasquez guy… Shawn seemed edgy about leaving with him but decided to go anyway, mostly because I forced him… So, Vasquez took a different turn and admitted to being the accomplice, then hit Shawn in the face with a gun and cuffed him," Paul paused to regain himself.

"I made him fight me because he threatened to kill Shawn… So we fought back and forth until Shawn tried to protect me. He got a nightstick shot to the head for his troubles. Sooner or later, he knocked me out… I woke up awhile later and found my brother in law unconscious, bleeding heavily from a wound in his chest… And, sprawled out not so far away from him, was Vasquez with a bullet to the head..," Paul looked at Dr. Elwes.

"It's a disgusting world, Doctor."

"It is, Mr. Levesque… What is Shawn's relationship with Shane?" Dr. Elwes asked.

"Well… Shawn worked for the company longer than me. He started in about '86, then got fired and re-hired in '88. He's known Shane for a very long time, almost 18 years, I think. Shawn treats him like a little brother. Hell, most of the old-time wrestlers do. We all have a bad habit of calling him 'kid.' It pisses his old man off to no end," Paul paused to chuckle dryly.

There was no humor in his heart right now.

"Shane… Shane's a great guy, Doctor. He's funny as hell. He does an amazing impersonation of his dad, I'll tell you that. He can make fun of anybody dead-on and nobody gets mad at him for it… Has two young kids, one was just born in March, the other is 2 years old..," Paul saw Dr. Elwes exhale deeply.

"It's a damn shame, Doc. And I know Shawn… Shawn is going to blame himself for _everything_. He and Vince are probably going to get into an argument. And lucky me, I'll be stuck between it. My in laws versus my best friend..," Paul cracked his knuckles.

"Honestly… What the hell was my brother in law thinking?" Paul shouted angrily.

Dr. Elwes sighed again.

"Sounds to me like your brother in law saved Shawn's life."

"Yeah… But at the cost of his own?" Paul asked.

* * *

The nurse continued walking down the hallways with Vince right next to her. She didn't look at him since their conversation earlier, but she knew he was crying. She heard him sniffling once in awhile. She was still young, so she didn't have any children yet, but she knew what kind of pain he must be going through. She had seen many people come through this hospital in her year working there, many parents or loved ones coming to visit their children, whose ages ranged from 5 to 55. The 36 year old was no different. She knew the exact severity of his injuries, according to the doctors, but was told not to say anything other than the bullet had cracked his sternum. She looked over at Vince for the first time in awhile.

"Are you ok, sir? Do you want me to call anybody for you?" She asked.

Vince nodded his head no.

"I just want to sit with my son…" He whispered back.

The nurse nodded her head in understanding and stopped outside of Shane's room.

"If there's anything you need… I'll be at the Nurse's Station…" She told him, smiled sadly and walked away.

Vince took a deep breath, turned around and walked into the room.

What he saw inside made his blood run cold… His son was beyond recognizable to him at the moment. He was paler than pale, if that was even possible. Shane's hair was flat, pressed against his head with sweat. He could hear Shane wheezing from the door, struggling to breathe.

_I thought they said they helped him…_

Vince squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to look at his lively, fun-loving son that way.

_Like this is going to help…_

Vince re-opened his eyes and walked closer to his son, taking a seat at the side of the bed. He slowly took hold of his son's limp, cold right hand and held it.

The movement made Shane stir, resulting in his head turning to face Vince. Vince placed his free hand on Shane's face and carefully rubbed his cheek.

"D… Dad..?"

Vince noticed Shane was looking at him, his eyes wide, glassy and almost as light as Linda's. His eyes weren't blue; instead they were an eerie gray.

"Shane…" Vince breathlessly stated, bending over to hug his son lightly.

He felt Shane's chest heaving like crazy against his and became more worried than he already was. He pulled away and looked Shane in the eyes again.

"Is… Is Shawn o... Ok?" Shane asked, wincing in pain as he struggled to breathe and talk.

Vince's eyes once again filled with tears as he nodded his head and smiled sadly.

"Yes, Shane… Shawn is fine; he's going to be fine… Just a nasty bump on the head, that's all it was… Shane… Did you really have a gun?" Vince asked, whispering as he did so.

Shane scrunched up his face in pain and closed his eyes, then nodded his head. He felt Vince's hand grip onto his, and that made him relax and continue to heave his chest. He opened his eyes and looked at Vince again.

"Yes… Yes I… I did…" He responded, making Vince narrow his eyes sadly.

"Why did you have a gun, Shane? You said it yourself when we went to go rescue Shawn… You don't believe in using or carrying a weapon. Why did you feel the need to protect Shawn..?" Vince asked.

The unshed tears in his son's eyes made him stop talking.

"Vasquez… Didn't trust… Him…" Shane replied.

The wheezing got louder and quicker. Vince nodded his head.

"Ok, ok, ok… Shhh, shhh… Just breathe, ok, Shane? Breathe," Vince moved his hand from Shane's face to his chest, which was bandaged heavily.

Even through the bandages, he felt an odd lump.

_Probably tape._ He reasoned and looked back at Shane.

"Just stay calm, Shane-O, you'll be fine…" Vince continued.

Shane's wide gray eyes opened and locked with Vince's eyes.

"Dad… D… Do me… A fa… Favor, ok..?" Shane asked.

"Anything, Shane. Anything." Vince whispered.

"T… Take care… Of my kids… Ok..?" Shane asked, the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Vince nodded his head no at his son, letting tears spill from his eyes as he did so.

"Don't talk like that, Shane. You're going to be fine. Do you hear me?"

Shane smiled weakly.

"Stubborn." He whispered, making Vince smile back at him.

"No, Shane. You're not stubborn. You're your father's son." He replied.

Shane's eyes went wide as he gasped for air again. Vince watched on, silently praying and watching as Shane slowly regained himself.

"Dad..,"

Vince nodded his head at Shane, silently urging him to go on with what he wanted to say.

"Please… Promise… Promise me… I… I want… You to say… Say you'll do it…" Shane continued.

Vince nodded his head.

"I promise, Shane… I promise. Anything you want." He replied.

"I… I love you…" Shane whispered.

"I love you too,"

Vince watched as Shane broke into a coughing fit and saw the blood involuntarily leaked from Shane's mouth. He looked Shane in the eyes once he calmed down and returned his free hand to his cheek.

"Shane… Shane,"

He watched the tears leak from Shane's eyes as they settled on something in the distance. He heard a low squeak as Shane's chest came to a halt and heard the sound nobody wants to hear…

_Flat line…_

"Shane!"

A doctor and several nurses ran into the room within seconds. The nurse from before pulled Vince aside, making him feel even more powerless than he already was. She eventually led him out of the room and walked down the hall with him.

"Mr. McMahon… I'm sorry, I don't know what to say," She stated as she stopped walking and turned to look at him.

Vince looked back at her with tears streaming down his face, a look he never showed people outside of his family or friends. The look on his face made her hug him.

"Don't worry, Mr. McMahon… They're going to bring your son back… He made it this far, he's not going to give up on you…"

Vince sniffled and nodded his head slightly.

Shane's doctor walked over to Vince, making the nurse break the hug and step to the side.

"Mr. McMahon," The doctor asked, making Vince turn to look at him.

"I'm Doctor Cooper Marano, your son's doctor." He stated and held out his hand for a handshake.

"Vince McMahon." Vince stated, irritated at hearing the weakness in his voice.

Dr. Marano nodded as the handshake ended.

"Your son flat lined." He stated, making Vince growl.

"Thank you, Dr. Obvious… Is he ok?" Vince asked.

"It's hard to tell, actually. We're rushing him back to the O.R. as we speak, so I'll get back to you on that. Amanda," Dr. Marano gestured to the nurse who had been comforting Vince.

"Would you be so kind as to sit here with Mr. McMahon while he waits? I'm sure he could use some company." Amanda nodded her head.

"Of course."

Dr. Marano smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Amanda," He looked back at Vince.

"You'll be kept updated as much as possible, I promise." He stated and rushed off to the elevator.

Vince looked over at Amanda.

"I don't want to sit around here waiting for that asshole…" He mumbled.

"I understand, Mr. McMahon. But Dr. Marano is far from being an asshole. He seems like one at times, but he's actually a nice guy. He's also one of our most talented surgeons, you should be glad your son is in his hands." She replied.

Vince rolled his eyes and wiped the tears from his face.

"If he's so damn talented, how come he didn't help my son before? I knew when I got in there that there was something wrong with my kid; he was barely able to breathe. It doesn't take a damn scientist to know he was still hurting!" Vince argued back.

Amanda nodded her head sadly.

"Mr. McMahon… I told you before, the main priority was to remove the bullet from your son's sternum and stop the massive bleeding that was taking place… Dr. Marano didn't want to risk anything else at the moment; his main goal was to stop the bleeding. Your son's condition scared him a little, mostly because we don't know how long Shane was bleeding or what distance he was shot… I promise you, he'll patch him up fully this time."

Vince growled again but nodded his head.

"Where's Michael Hickenbottom's room?" He asked.

Amanda sighed and thought about it.

"I can take you there if you want, that way I know where to get you when there's word on your son." She offered, making him smirk.

"Thanks, Amanda."

* * *

Dr. Elwes had long walked out of the room, leaving Paul with nothing to do but go over a list of things in his head that he could blame Shawn for. It seemed wrong of him to do, but he couldn't help himself. He _knew_ things would have been different if Shawn would have said something about Vasquez rather than waiting until the last minute. He suddenly got an odd feeling in his stomach and looked around the room, trying to think of what it was. The last time he got a feeling like that was when Eddie Guerrero died.

_Oh God, no… Not Shane…_

Paul was about to stand up and walk out of the room to look for the nearest nurse or doctor, anyone who might know where Shane was so he could check on him, but he heard a groan and looked up at Shawn instead. Shawn opened his eyes and blinked against the evil bright lights of the hospital room, then looked over at Paul and saw the upset look on his face.

"Paul..? Are you ok?" He asked.

Paul nodded his head yes and forced a sad smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Shawn nodded, but knew Paul long enough to know he was lying.

"No you're not. What's the matter? Come on, you can tell me."

Shawn felt almost desperate for some reason. He too had an odd feeling in his stomach that something bad had happened. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew something was wrong. Paul sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Um… How should I say this..," Paul paused and put his head in his hands for a few moments.

The minutes felt like hours to Shawn, who was only able to stare at his friend and wait for him to say something.

"Vasquez is dead."

Paul finally stated as he lifted up his head to look at Shawn. Something was telling him there was more to what Paul was saying.

"And?" Shawn asked.

He watched Paul's eyes suddenly glisten with tears.

"And… Uh… Shane got shot…"

Paul watched the color drain from Shawn's face as his eyes widened in fear, shock and sadness.

"Oh God… Oh my God,"

Paul saw Shawn's eyes go from blue to emerald green and saw the tears accompany the new eye color. Shawn put his hands against his face.

"Oh, no… Not Shane…" He whispered to himself.

Paul let the tears escape his eyes as he heard Shawn sobbing.

_Great, it took Shane getting shot to make him let go of his emotions…_

He put a hand on Shawn's arm and rubbed it gently.

"Shawn… Shawn, relax… You didn't do anything wrong…" Paul whispered.

He watched as Shawn moved his hands away to reveal his face.

"What? Are you _kidding_ me, Paul? You know damn well this whole situation is my fault! If I would have told you about Vasquez sooner, we'd be at the hotel right now eating pizza and watching a movie. But no! I'm too much of a wimp to say anything about what happened! And because of _me_ and _my_ actions… Shane was shot!" Shawn shouted.

Paul sighed and grabbed a hold of Shawn's left hand.

"Listen to me, Shawn," Paul watched as Shawn looked him in the eyes.

"I know you think that Shane was shot because of you. You don't have to look at it like that… You were scared back at the arena and neither me nor Vince did anything about it… But Shane… Shane heard it in your voice, Shawn. He knew there was something wrong. He paid more attention to you than I did, and for that, I'm sorry. I think it's my fault because I forced you into the situation where you were vulnerable to Vasquez… If it wasn't for me doing that, Shane would never have followed us and jumped in to protect you when he did. Shawn… He was carrying a gun on him for Christ's sake!" Paul shouted through gritted teeth, making Shawn raise a concerned eyebrow.

"What?"

"I'm serious… The kid had a gun on him… I don't know where he got it from, but he had one," Paul paused to exhale deeply.

"Ok… So I guess I have a question for you… How did you know Vasquez was crooked?" Paul asked.

Shawn sighed and wiped the tears from his face, only to have more flow from his eyes.

"Um… I saw him at Payne's house… He, uh… He joined in on some of Payne's fun, if you get what I mean..," Shawn paused for a moment.

Everything was starting to fall apart.

"Is Shane ok?"

Paul sighed.

"I don't know, Shawn. He… He kinda started coughing up blood back in the fields. He stopped breathing, even. But nobody approached me and Vince in the E.R. and said he was D.O.A… So I guess he's alright… I haven't heard from Vince in awhile… So I guess he's with Shane now… Although I did get a funny feeling before… Happened right before you woke up…" Paul stated.

Shawn nodded his head.

"I got a funny feeling that made me wake up… Paul,"

Paul looked at Shawn again, watching as a new batch of tears formed in Shawn's eyes.

"What if… What if Shane dies because of me? Do you think Vince will ever forgive me?" He asked tearfully.

"Shawn! Stop thinking like that! Shane is going to be fine!" He shouted.

"No he isn't,"

Paul turned to see Vince standing in the doorway. He had tears in his eyes and tear stains on his face. He didn't look happy at all.

"He just flat lined." Vince continued as he slowly walked into the hospital room.

Paul's eyes widened as he turned to look at the even more depressed Shawn, whose eyes widened in fear.

"Oh God, no…" He breathlessly stated, putting his head in his hands again.

Paul looked back at Vince in shock.

"What the hell do you mean 'he just flat lined?'"

"I mean he just fucking flat lined, Paul! What's so hard to understand about it? Shane's heart stopped again, he stopped breathing and everything. And this wouldn't be happening if your fucking little friend would have said something in the first place! Shawn," Vince locked eyes with Shawn, who moved his hands slightly so he could look at his boss.

"Why the _fuck_ didn't you say anything? You _knew_ Vasquez was crooked! You knew it all along, didn't you," Vince paused and watched as Shawn nodded his head yes.

"Well, that's just great. My son is literally fighting for his life because of your ignorance!"

"Vince! Don't you dare come in here and blame Shawn for everything! Because if you're going to blame him, you might as well blame me, too!" Paul shouted, making Vince look over at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Vince asked.

"I refused to let the doctor from Ohio get a psychiatrist for Shawn. I'm the one who made him sink deeper into his emotional rut by allowing him to stay silent all this time. If you're going to blame somebody, blame me… Because I stopped the psychiatric evaluation from happening!" Paul shouted back.

Vince narrowed his eyes angrily.

"You weren't the only one to keep that doctor from doing that… Shane was against it too." He seethed.

Paul narrowed his eyes.

"No, I'm taking full responsibility for this. It's all on my back. If I would have listened to Shawn at the arena, I would have known there was something wrong. Shane listened, and he knew something was up. It's the only reason why he followed us. He was nervous because of the tone in Shawn's voice…" Paul was cut off by a very irate Shawn.

"Will you fucking listen to yourself, Paul? You have nothing to do with the goddamn situation at hand! It's all my fault, Paul! Ok? It's my fault, and you can't deny a goddamn thing at this point! I'm the one who refused psychiatric evaluation. I'm the one who refused to open up to my friends. It's MY FAULT Shane was shot. It's all on ME!"

Vince nodded his head.

"You're damn right it is, Shawn. You had the fucking opportunity to explain everything that happened in court, but it was so convenient of you to have a panic attack when the lawyer asked you that goddamn question. You could have put Vasquez away with Payne; they could be sitting in the same jail cell right now if it wasn't for your fucking fear. Fear of what, Shawn? What exactly are you afraid of? Are you afraid of Payne coming to get you again? Because he's locked away in prison, and I can guarantee you that it's never going to happen. So… What exactly is keeping you from saying anything?" Vince asked accusingly.

He wanted to hear Shawn admit how wrong he was even more than he already did. It made him feel good after what happened to Shane.

Shawn narrowed his eyes at Vince.

"Alright, wise guy. I'll tell you what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of men in general. It doesn't matter who. The fear will be there. And do you want to know why, Vince? Hmm? Of course not, but fuck it all, I'll tell you anyway! Payne didn't only beat me down when I was there. He raped me, Vince. He flat out fucked me like a jack rabbit," Shawn stated between gritted teeth, making Vince's eyes widen.

Paul put a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh at Shawn's words. It was a serious matter at hand; he wasn't supposed to be laughing at his friend getting raped. But still…

"And you know what, Vince… Vasquez did the same goddamn thing. So… You want to know what I was afraid of? You know the fucking truth now, Vince. I never wanted to admit it to anybody for as long as I live. Robin knows, and that was good enough for me. I knew Vasquez was lurking around the hallways. I met him the night I came back to Raw at M.S.G. He could have done anything to me at any given time. And all you care about was me saying he was crooked? Don't you fucking realize that he could have fucking killed me if he found out I said something? Even if he was suspicious, he would have pulled some crazy ass stunt. You know the goddamn truth now. It's my goddamn fault that Shane was shot. Oh, while I'm at it, there's somebody else involved in this too. I don't know who the fuck it is, so don't ask. But Payne was talking some weird ass 'higher power' shit one night. And by the way..," Shawn paused to look Vince in the eyes.

"I'd give my fucking life to trade places with your son if I could. I should be the one dying, not him. He doesn't deserve it… I'll never be able to live with myself, knowing Shane died protecting me, of all people… Now if you'll be so kind as to leave me the FUCK alone so I can sulk in peace, I'd appreciate it…"

Vince took a step forward.

"Shawn, I'm…" Vince was cut off.

"No! Everything is my fault, Vince. I did everything, Shane is fighting to live because of me, and it's all on my conscience. Get the FUCK out." Shawn shouted and pointed to the door.

Vince narrowed his eyes at Shawn.

"I'm sorry." He stated, spun on his heels and left.

Paul was left staring at Shawn in shock, a look that quickly changed when Shawn turned to look at him.

"Oh, you're still fucking here? You can get lost too." Shawn stated.

Paul nodded and walked out, quickly catching up with Vince in the hallway. Vince was mumbling to himself when Paul ran to his side.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I think that man needs some serious help…" Paul nodded his head in agreement and watched as Amanda ran off the elevator and straight up to Vince.

"Mr. McMahon," She shouted, almost out of breath.

She paused to regain herself, and then looked Vince in the eyes.

"Dr. Marano just came out of the O.R. They got everything under control and are transporting Shane to I.C.U. He said that, because Shane just flat lined, the operation was a little tricky… But it was still a success. You're free to go to his room; they should have gotten him settled there already…" She stated.

"So, he's going to be ok?" Vince asked.

Amanda smiled.

"I guess so, Mr. McMahon. He could have flat lined on the table, but he didn't. Dr. Marano made sure of it." She replied.

"Did he say what was wrong?" Paul asked, trying to figure out how Shane could have stopped breathing in the first place.

"Well… Dr. Marano said that there was a nick in Shane's lung… You see, when the bullet cracked his sternum, it sent pieces of it into his lung and his heart… Shane was bleeding internally this entire time, it's a miracle he made it," Amanda paused to put a hand on Vince's shoulder.

"Somebody up there likes him, _a lot_," She paused again to smile.

"Anyway, Dr. Marano said it was a bit odd for it to happen, the fragment of the sternum going into the lung and the heart, I mean… And the cracked rib didn't help, either… Wow, am I rambling," She asked.

Vince and Paul nodded their heads yes, making her smile shyly.

"I'm sorry… I was actually aiming to become a doctor…"

Vince smiled back at her.

"It's ok, Amanda… I can't believe Shane is going to be ok… I was so worried…" He stated.

"Actually, there's still a little bit of reason to worry… A patient in Shane's condition could always fall into a coma, if it's not induced by the doctor. The first night is always the trickiest… It is with any patient." She stated, making Vince narrow his eyes at her.

"Kill joy." He mumbled.

Amanda chuckled.

"Don't worry so much, Mr. McMahon. Shane made it this far, you think he's going to give up on you now?"

After a brief moment of silence, Vince and Paul followed Amanda to Shane's I.C.U. room. She smiled at the both of them, and then walked down the hall. Vince turned to look at Paul.

"I think I should call Stephanie and Linda…" He whispered, making Paul nod his head.

"How about I call Stephanie and you call Linda? It might work out better that way…" He stated.

"Agreed. Stephanie might try to rip the phone in half if she hears it from me…"

Both men took out their cell phones and dialed their respective wife.

"Linda? It's Vince." Vince stated, surprised his wife picked up in such a hurry.

"I can tell by the caller ID, Vince," She paused to chuckle.

"What's the matter? You never call this late." She stated.

"Well… I'm at the hospital in Montreal… And I've got some news for you." He started out slow; he knew Linda wouldn't be able to handle it.

"What? Are you ok? Hang on a minute, Stephanie is on the phone and she's being really loud."

Vince listened as Linda told Stephanie to lower her voice.

"Linda… I'm fine, ok? I suggest you sit down." Vince paused again.

"All right," Linda paused to sit down.

"I hate it when you leave me in suspense, Vince. Now tell me what it is…" She stated.

Vince sighed.

"Ok, Linda… All right… It's Shane. I think you'd better get to Montreal as soon as possible… He was shot in the chest and still isn't doing so good, although he's better than he was before… He was just rushed to the E.R. because of internal bleeding… His heart stopped twice, Linda… I really want you here with me, ok?" Vince asked in a tearful voice.

He listened to Linda take deep breaths, and then heard her burst into tears.

"Oh my God, Vince! Are you saying..? Are you saying Shane..? My precious baby boy… Oh my God… Not him, Vince…"

Vince sighed.

"Linda… Please… I'll be here with him for as long as I can before they kick me out… Please get up here as soon as you can… I really need you by my side right now… I just completely blew up at Shawn for everything that happened… And I know Paul is going to be back and forth… I need you with me…" Vince whispered.

"Ok, Vince… I'll get up there as soon as I can… You'd better give Shane a kiss for me and tell him how much I love him." Linda stated and hung up.

Vince did the same on his end.

_Jesus Christ, I think I just broke her damn heart…_

"Steph? Yeah, it's Paul; I need to talk to you for a second." Paul stated.

Stephanie growled at him.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Paul? I should kick you for calling so late." She replied.

"Well, although I love the thought of you and I getting physical, I'm too far away and we have much more important matters at hand right now, so it'll have to wait…" He replied.

Stephanie sighed and rubbed her head.

"All right, Paul. What is it? Why do you sound nervous and upset," She paused for a moment.

"And why the hell are you using my brother's cell phone?" She asked.

"Well… Your brother gave it to me to use awhile ago and I kinda can't give it back to him at the moment… You see… Um… Jesus Christ this is hard…" Paul paused for a moment as he heard Stephanie sniffle.

"Oh my God, Paul… What the hell happened to my brother?" She shouted.

"He got shot, Steph… He got shot in the chest and isn't doing too great, his heart stopped twice as a result of internal injuries… He was just rushed back to the O.R. for the second time so the doctor could repair the damage… He said he's going to be ok… But..," Paul once again paused to sigh.

"It's scary, ya know? Do you think you could get up here?"

He heard Stephanie sniffle and mentally smacked himself.

_God, I'm horrible at delivering bad news to people…_

"Ok, Paul… Oh God, I think my dad just told my mom."

Paul listened and heard Linda sobbing hysterically in the background.

"Yeah… He did, I'm standing right next to him." Paul replied, waiting and listening as Stephanie tried to comfort her mother.

"Paul, I'll call you back when I can, I really have to calm my mother down. She's hysterical right now… And I don't blame her… Oh, God… Poor Shane,"

He heard Stephanie sob a little.

"I'll call you back later, ok?" She tearfully asked.

"Ok, Steph. God, I love you. I'm so sorry for having to be the one to tell you…" He replied.

They said their goodbyes and hung up.

Paul turned to look for Vince and saw him walking into Shane's hospital room. Paul took the opportunity of him being alone to call the one man he thought of that would have given Shane the gun… Steve Austin.

"Hey there Shane, you little son of a bitch. Do you know what goddamn time it is?" Steve shouted in his thick Texas accent.

"I hate it; you're the third person to assume I was Shane tonight. It's rather irritating, Steve. It's Paul." Paul stated.

He heard Steve laughing.

"Oh, sorry. Well you're still a son of a bitch, Paul. You shouldn't have Shane's cell phone in the first place… Wait a damn minute… Why _do_ you have Shane's cell phone?" Steve asked.

"Listen up, Steve… Remember that day in court, Austin Payne named some guy named Theodore Rodriguez as his accomplice?" He asked.

"Uh… Yeah…" Steve replied, now sounding extremely interested in the topic.

"Well, Vasquez is the fucking accomplice. Wait, he was the accomplice…"

"What do you mean by 'was?'" Steve asked.

"Glad you asked, Steve. Shawn and I were in the car with the bastard when he stopped and told us to get out. He was waving his gun around like a jackass, so we had no choice but to listen. Anyway, he cuffed Shawn and put the gun to his head and made him tell me that he was the accomplice. I started fighting Vasquez when he said he wanted to kill Shawn… I mean come on; he hit him in the temple with the fucking gun… Anyway, Vasquez took out his nightstick and got a good shot in on me and before I knew it, Shawn was kneeling down in front of me to protect me. Vasquez knocked him out and knocked me out a short time later… I woke up and found Vasquez sprawled out with a bullet to the head…" Paul paused.

"I know the mother fucker didn't shoot himself. Who shot him?" Steve asked.

"Good of you to ask. Shane. Shane Brandon McMahon was alarmed by Shawn's attitude about Vasquez before we left with him, so he followed us and watched everything, then jumped in when he was about to assault Shawn even more. Steve… Shane had a fucking gun on him."

"No. No way in hell. You must be drunk, Paul. Shane would never in a million years carry a gun on him. He was freaked the fuck out in Ohio when I gave him a rifle. He said he doesn't believe in holding or using a weapon. He didn't even want to hold an empty rifle, Paul…" Steve stated.

"I know, Steve. I know… But Vasquez was dead and Shane-O was shot in the chest… So he had to have brought a gun with him… You didn't give it to him, right?" Paul asked.

"Fuck no, Paul! I haven't seen you guys since the court hearing. And the way he reacted to holding a rifle… Man, I'd never give that kid a gun! He's happier sky diving and doing crazy stunts like that. Guns aren't his forte. Why the fuck would I give him one? I wouldn't trust him with it!" He shouted back.

"Ok… Thank God… Vince would have flipped his lid if he found out you gave Shane a gun…"

"Paul, I can assure you, I didn't give Shane anything. I haven't heard from or seen him in almost a week. I don't know where he got the damn gun, but I could sure as hell try to find out for you." Steve stated.

"That would mean a lot to me, Steve. I'm going to lecture that son of a bitch when he wakes up… He should know better…" Paul replied.

"How's he doing?" Steve asked, making Paul sigh.

"Not too good, I'll tell you that. The bullet cracked his sternum and sent fragments of it into his lung and his heart… He choked up blood and stopped breathing out in the field, then stopped breathing in the hospital… The doctor didn't fish around in their first trip to the O.R.; he only stopped the bleeding and removed the bullet… Since Shane flat lined, he took him back and took out the sternum fragments and fixed a cracked rib… Vince is losing it, Steve. He flipped out at Shawn not so long ago and blamed him for everything… Now I'm worried about Shawn… He lost it too, Steve… He yelled at Vince about everything that happened… Then chased us off… So we called Linda and Stephanie. Linda broke down and Steph hung up so she could help her…" Paul paused to sigh.

"I'm taking a flight up there in the morning. I'll see you then." Steve stated and hung up.

Paul hung up Shane's cell phone and put it in his pocket. He turned to walk into Shane's room and saw Vince holding his son's hand.

"How was it on the phone with Steph?" Vince asked, without looking up from his son's face.

Paul sighed.

"She was upset… But Linda lost it, Vince… I heard her crying in the background…" Paul replied, watching as Vince nodded his head.

"Who were you talking to just now?" He asked.

"Um… Steve Austin…"

He saw Vince's eyes narrow for a moment, then return to normal as he placed a hand on his son's pale face and rub his cheek.

"I seriously hope he didn't give Shane the gun…" Vince whispered, then looked up at Paul with accusing eyes.

"No, he didn't. But he, just like Steph and Linda, is coming up here as soon as he can…" Paul paused and watched Vince look at the floor, then rest his head on Shane's chest.

"My God, Paul… Why did Shane have to be so stupid?" He asked.

Paul watched as Vince cried onto his son's chest, not caring anymore.

"It wasn't stupid, Vince. It was brave of him to do…"

Vince sobbed against Shane's chest.

"Being brave is being stupid." He whispered.

"No… Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love…"

* * *

**A/N: What an emotional chapter of Dark Reflections this turned out to be. Pass the Kleenex!**

**The quote I had Paul use was actually a quote by Morihei Ueshiba, a Japanese Martial Artist. He founded the Japanese Martial Art of Aikido. (I have no idea what that is, LOL). The quote changed several times, as I tried to decide which one would sound better… It also changed because I changed Vince's statement several times. I'm pleased with it, so I guess I should shut up.**

**The title is a little weird, no? It's from the song 'Last Midnight' from Into the Woods. And no, I don't know what that is either. LOL.**

**Spring Break has ended for me. And I'm typing this at 2:20 AM on what will be my first day back to school. I can't sleep and I got the motivation to finish this… So… Here it is. R & R please and, as usual, this isn't the end...**

**Edit: I've decided to start concentrating on Like Old Times just as much as I concentrate on this story and Lies From Within, so that's going to be updated more. I'm going to start editing the earlier chapters of this story and Like Old Times either today or tomorrow, so expect to see differences in the early chapters.**


	28. Too Late to Apologize

Dark Reflections

Chapter 28

Too Late to Apologize

Vince woke up to the sound of knocking on his hotel room door. He looked over at the other bed and saw Paul sitting up with his head in his hands. Vince knew for a fact what happened the night before to Shane was haunting his son in law, and the fact that Vince blew up at Paul's best friend didn't help at all. Vince sighed and walked over to the door, then pulled it open and glanced out into the hallway. His wife and his daughter were standing there, so Vince ushered them in and shut the door behind them.

Stephanie walked over to Paul and sat on the bed with him, too tired and upset to try and think of anything to say. Her brother was obviously not her favorite person in the world, but that didn't stop her from loving him no matter how much he pissed her off.

Linda hugged Vince tight, both members of the McMahon family releasing all of their emotions. Linda eventually pulled away from her husband and stared at him.

"How was he when you left?" Linda asked.

She couldn't get Shane out of her head. The thought of her kids in any type of pain was hard to bear. Vince sighed and wiped his face dry.

"The same as he was when they brought him back from the O.R. the second time... Unconscious but stable." Vince paused and felt a new batch of tears stinging in his eyes.

Linda saw this and hugged him again.

"He'll be fine... He has to be..."

Vince heard the sadness in her voice and sighed again. He really felt bad for dragging her into this... But then again, it would have been hard for him to hide it from her. It's not like Shane would actually disappear off the face of the Earth.

"I know." He replied.

The two separated and walked over to Vince's bed and sat down.

Stephanie had long since put her head on Paul's shoulder and was rubbing his back. She didn't quite understand everything that happened, but she knew it had to be bad for him to be this upset.

"Paul... Honey... Can you please talk to me..? What happened last night?" She asked.

Paul exhaled deeply and tried to blink away the oncoming tears. She saw she upset him more and rubbed his back a little.

"We were at the arena," He suddenly started, making her stop rubbing his back and look at him.

"It was after your brother's match against Adam. We were backstage and your dad said we could leave but Shane-O had to stay... So Shane offered to let me take his car. Officer Vasquez said he'd give us a ride and Shawn kind of freaked out. He said he would rather wait for your brother to get his car keys," Paul paused to look up at his wife.

"Anyway... I more or less forced Shawn to go with Officer Vasquez. Shawn refused to talk to him in the car... Then Vasquez pulled over and made us get out. He handcuffed Shawn and stuck a gun to his head... Made him tell me he was Payne's accomplice," Paul paused when he heard Stephanie gasp.

"He knocked Shawn out eventually and started fighting with me... He knocked me out... I woke up some time later... Found Shawn unconscious but ok... Walked away from him and saw your brother..," Paul paused and let tears leak from his eyes.

He could feel Stephanie wasn't the only one watching him, so he looked up slightly and saw Linda staring at him with tears in her big blue eyes. Vince was listening as well, but his hands were balled into fists on his lap and the expression on his face seemed to display pain and guilt rather than the look of sadness on the faces of the McMahon women.

"He was semi-knocked out on the ground… And lying not so far away from him was Vasquez… The bastard was dead from a bullet to the head," Paul paused again to calm himself down. He was starting to go hysterical.

"He was just… Covered in blood and gasping for air… That son of a bitch Vasquez shot him in the damn chest… I tried to help him as much as I could, but I just didn't know what to do for him. He was talking a little, which was good… I think… But I noticed he was getting weaker and weaker and weaker… He fucking choked up blood and passed out… I saw him stop breathing, Steph..," Paul looked up at his wife with tears spilling from his eyes.

He couldn't control himself anymore. Stephanie was at a loss of words. She continued to stare at him in shock.

"And all I could think about was how it was going to affect Shawn… I knew Shane-O was going to be ok… He's too stubborn to go down without a fight… But Shawn on the other hand… He's weak in the head… And I don't think he's going to be the same as he was before this happened to him… He's too far gone, Steph… I don't think I can help him…"

"I'll tell you what I think," Paul turned to look at Vince, as did Stephanie and Linda.

"I think… You should convince Shawn to either go home and spend time with his family or agree to psychiatric evaluation. You're right… Shawn is too far gone to be the person he was before. I can only think of two ways to help him… The more time you let him go without it is going to make recovery a fucking miracle… We can't have anything else happen," Vince paused for a moment to look Paul in the eyes.

"Especially with what he told us last night…"

Stephanie looked over at Paul.

"What did he say?" She asked.

"He said there's somebody else involved in this… It goes higher than Vasquez and Payne…" Paul replied.

Stephanie's jaw slightly dropped.

"Who else could it be? I mean… We need to..," Stephanie paused for a moment and let things settle in.

The idea her father had proposed now clicked in her head.

"I get it now… Make Shawn get the help he needs so he can remember if they ever mentioned a name instead of just saying there was somebody else. Do you really think that'll work?" She asked.

"It has to. Shawn knows more than he lets on." Vince replied.

Stephanie looked down at the floor and sighed. She didn't like the tension in the room between her husband and her father. She knew for a fact by the way Paul broke down telling the story of what happened the night before that he was getting torn in two. He didn't know who he should help first. Should he be on the side of his wife and his in-laws or his best friend for nearly 12 years? She looked up at her mother and saw the tears running down her face. She, like Vince, wished they didn't have to involve Linda. But then again, it would be a hard secret to keep. Stephanie wished she could do more to help her parents and her husband. The thought of her older brother lying unconscious in a hospital bed was hard to think of…

"Don't you think we should go to the hospital and visit Shane-O?" She suddenly asked.

Vince looked down at his watch and nodded.

"Yes, we should. Visiting hours just started…"

When they arrived to the hospital, Paul stopped short at the sight of Shawn sitting by himself in the entrance area. He looked over at Vince, who narrowed his eyes angrily at him and kept walking.

"Let me see if I can handle him." Paul whispered to Stephanie, who nodded her head and kissed him.

"Good luck." She told him, locked arms with her mother and walked away to catch up with Vince.

Paul turned to look at Shawn again and exhaled deeply before walking over to him.

"Hey," Paul stated, making Shawn look up at him, then back down at the floor.

"Can I sit down?" Paul asked.

"Free country, ain't it?" Shawn responded.

Paul narrowed his eyes but sat down in the empty seat next to his best friend.

"What's the matter? I mean… Why are you sitting down here? Shouldn't you be upstairs?" Paul asked.

He looked at the expression on Shawn's face and saw it was the same as it was when they first got him back from Payne.

"Doctor said I could leave as long as I promised to see a shrink..,"

There was a brief, awkward silence between the two before either one of them spoke again.

"I stopped by Shane's room..,"

Paul turned to look at Shawn with wide eyes. Shawn's eyes were glistening with tears.

"I… I can't believe what… What I did to him… Being this is all my fault… It's hard to believe…"

The tears flowed freely and Shawn put his head in his hands. Paul sighed. The situation was eating Shawn up on the inside.

"Shawn… Shawn, don't say that. You know you didn't do anything wrong."

Shawn's head shot up. He looked over at Paul, who was quite afraid of the odd expression on Shawn's face. The angry/demonic look combined with the tears was very unlike him.

"You like to say that, Paul. But you know it's true. I can see it in your eyes… You know I'm at fault and you regret saying I didn't need a shrink. Look where that got us. Shane-O is having the match of a lifetime and your in-laws want to kill me…"

"They don't want to kill you, Shawn…"

Shawn narrowed his eyes at the comment.

"Oh, I'm so sure. Vince couldn't wait to jump down my throat last night. What's to keep him from stalking me with a butcher knife, if I don't decide to kill myself for him?" Shawn asked.

Paul looked around to make sure nobody was watching him, then looked back at Shawn and smacked him clear across the face.

"Don't you ever fucking say that again, do you hear me? You are not a coward," Paul watched as Shawn looked up at him without moving his head.

"You have a family to care for, Shawn… And friends that love you. I can't believe you would ever think of saying the word suicide."

"I didn't say the damn word…" Shawn was cut off by a very irate Paul.

"But you were fucking thinking it, weren't you?" He shouted.

Shawn put his head in his hands and sighed.

"No… Yes… I don't know, ok? I really don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling right now… I can't get the thought of Shane dying out of my head… I know it happened… I know his heart stopped. I know how much he's hurting, even though he doesn't know it since he's unconscious… Paul,"

Paul locked eyes with Shawn and realized he wasn't bluffing… He couldn't be.

"I hurt him."

Paul watched as the tears once again leaked from Shawn's eyes.

"Shawn..," Paul put a hand on his best friends shoulder and waited for him to look him in the eyes.

"It's not your fault. Please stop blaming yourself. I admit, you should have said something about Vasquez being involved sooner, but that probably wouldn't have changed what happened… It could have been worse ya know… Vasquez could have started firing off shots in the arena… God knows what would have happened in that situation…"

"At least Shane wouldn't have gotten shot trying to protect me." Shawn replied and stood up.

Paul quickly got up and grabbed a hold of Shawn's arm.

"You can't keep thinking like that, Shawn. You don't know what could have happened if things were different. Maybe Shane would be ok, maybe he wouldn't. It's a 50/50 chance, Shawn..," Paul paused when Shawn ripped his arm away from Paul's grip.

He started to walk away, so Paul followed him.

"Where are you going?" Paul asked once he caught up to Shawn.

"I don't know… Just not here… I can't be here right now…"

Paul sighed.

"Don't you think it would be decent of you to come with me up to Shane's room and apologize to Linda and Stephanie? They don't blame you for what happened. And I know for a fact Vince regrets what he said to you… He's been acting weird all day, and I know it's mostly because of what happened to his son… But the rest is because of how he exploded at you last night. That's very unlike him, you know that. He would never verbally abuse an employee because he felt like it. He's being driven by anger right now… He's hurting because Shane pretty much died in his arms, then came back to him. You know how much Vince hates weakness. Well he's pretty damn vulnerable right now, Shawn. Just come with me… Please… If you don't feel comfortable, I promise you can leave. As a matter of fact, I'll call you a damn cab myself. Don't leave without seeing Vince. He really feels awful."

Shawn sighed and nodded his head.

"Ok… I'll come… You're right… I just… I don't know… I think this is hurting me as much as it's hurting you. I've known that kid since he graduated high school. That was in 1988, Paul. I pretty much watched him grow and adapt to this business. He's like the little brother I never had but always wanted," Shawn paused to wipe tears from his eyes.

"I know you're related to them by marriage… But… Being close friends oughta count for something, no?" Shawn asked.

Paul sighed.

"Of course it counts for something, Shawn. Vince loves you like a son. You should have seen him and Shane-O backstage while you were gone. It was almost like they were in a fucking fog… But they were so desperate to find you… Shane-O kept me sane that night… You gotta believe me when I say Vince was just acting as any concerned father would for their child… You believe me, right?" Paul asked.

Shawn nodded his head.

The two members of D-Generation X walked back into the hospital and got onto the elevator.

"So I heard Steve is coming up here."

Paul looked over at Shawn and raised an eyebrow.

"What? Where the hell did you hear that?" Paul asked, making Shawn turn to look at him.

"That nurse, Amanda. I was walking past her today and she stopped to tell me Steve Austin was on his way here from Texas. I think she might have overheard you talking to Vince last night..," Shawn replied.

Paul shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably. Damn, I thought we had some confidentiality in a hospital." He stated, making Shawn scoff.

"Dude… You're famous. Of course there's no such thing as confidentiality."

Paul narrowed his eyes angrily at Shawn as the elevator stopped on their floor. The two stepped off and started walking towards Shane's room.

"God I hate hospitals…" Paul mumbled under his breath.

Shawn stopped short when they arrived in front of Shane's room. Paul had his head down and wound up walking into Shawn's back. He muttered something incoherently under his breath and looked up at Shawn, then looked inside Shane's room and sighed.

"Paul… I can't do it…" Shawn whispered so low Paul wasn't even sure he said anything.

"Come on. I promise it'll be ok." Paul whispered back.

He patted Shawn on the back, making Shawn turn to look him in the eyes. Shawn nodded his head and walked into Shane's room, where the not-so-happy McMahons were sitting. Stephanie was the first to look up and notice Paul and Shawn had walked in the room. She got up and hugged her husband.

"They said he's strong for somebody in his situation." Stephanie whispered and pulled away, making Vince and Linda turn to look at the door.

Stephanie looked over at Shawn.

"I'm really sorry, Steph…" Shawn stated.

He lowered his head and once again started crying.

"Hey," Shawn looked up at Stephanie, who had a sad smile on her face.

"You didn't do anything wrong. My brother did a noble thing. It was kind of stupid for him to do, but it was noble. He won't be angry about what happened… So why should I?"

Paul patted Shawn on the back.

"Relax, man…"

Shawn nodded his head at Stephanie, making more tears leak from his eyes. Stephanie saw how upset her husband's best friend was and decided to hug him. Over her shoulder, Shawn noticed Vince was looking at him in an odd way. Stephanie pulled away from Shawn and smiled.

"You can honestly stop crying, Shawn. We're not mad at you." She whispered.

He nodded his head sheepishly and then made his way over to Linda. Stephanie stood next to Paul and the two watched Shawn closely. Shawn stood for a moment or two staring at the wall behind Linda before he finally knelt down and looked up at her.

"Mrs. McMahon..," He watched as she looked over at him with unshed tears in her eyes.

"I… I'm really sorry for what happened and… And I take full responsibility for putting Shane in that situation…" Shawn's voice trailed off as he started crying again.

Linda sighed and leaned forward so she could hug him.

"Relax, Shawn. It's not your fault…"

Shawn pulled away from Linda and nodded his head, then wiped his eyes and looked over at Vince. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with the elder McMahon yet, especially after their argument the night before. Vince had his eyes on his son, but it was quite obvious to everyone in the room that his thoughts were elsewhere. He looked up and saw Shawn was looking back at him. The sad look on Shawn's face really pissed Vince off for reasons he couldn't explain. Shawn suddenly looked away. He felt extremely guilty about what happened to Shane, and the staring contest with an equally upset Vince McMahon wasn't the way to spend his day. Vince wasn't quite sure where he was looking, so he got up and walked over to him. Before Shawn could react, or even realize Vince was there, Vince embraced him and cried on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry I shouted at you… I didn't mean it. I really didn't mean it. Please understand…"

Shawn knew how much Vince hated to show weakness in front of other people. He pulled away from Vince to look him in the eyes.

"I understand," Shawn paused for a moment when he saw the small smile appear on Vince's face.

"But you were right."

Vince was nodding his head no, so Shawn stopped talking.

"Shawn, please don't…"

It was Shawn's turn to cut Vince off.

"No, no. You were right, Vin Man. I'm taking full responsibility for this. If you would have known about Vasquez sooner, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"But you would probably be dead." Vince stated, quite harshly at that, and glared at Shawn.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders in response.

"So be it. Better than your son," Shawn paused for a moment.

His statement seemed to make Vince speechless.

"Listen… I came here to say sorry to you guys. I know how much stress I've caused you all… I know I put about 65 percent of those grays there," Shawn gestured to Vince's hair, making the older man narrow his eyes angrily.

"I know this now because of what you said last night. You made me open my eyes, McMannequin. I should say thanks while I'm ranting..," Shawn paused to breathe for a bit, trying to regain himself and think of what he wanted to say.

"Look… I'm sorry for what happened. You won't have to deal with my shit anymore… I'm going to see a shrink… And after that… Who knows? Maybe I'll quit and travel the world with my family," Shawn looked down at the extremely pale Shane McMahon.

Now that he thought about it, the blonde really didn't look good on him, since his hair was already starting to grow and the roots were black. He looked back up at Vince and sighed.

"See ya around, Vin Man."

As Shawn was leaving the room, Paul grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Shawn… Wait!"

Shawn shrugged Paul's arm away, then suddenly shoved him to the floor. Stephanie shrieked and jumped back, which made Linda jump and Vince almost trip over himself to get to his daughter. Paul looked up at Shawn and stared into Shawn's wide, sad eyes. Shawn sighed and blinked away tears, then turned around and left.

"Shawn, goddammit," Vince shouted, stopping at the door to turn around and look at his son in law.

"Are you ok?" Vince asked and offered Paul a hand.

Paul nodded and grabbed a hold of Vince's hand. He was standing in no time at all.

"I'm fine, thanks..," Paul sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"Wow. I can't believe he did that…" Paul mumbled.

Vince glared at him.

"I would love to fucking ring his neck!"

Paul chuckled, then exhaled deeply and nodded his head at Vince.

"No you wouldn't." He stated, making Vince stomp his foot in anger.

"You're right, goddammit…" He replied through gritted teeth.

Paul smirked and hugged his father in law. He knew how much he hated to admit he was wrong about something, unless he was in front of a big group of people. But even then, the words rarely escaped his lips. The only one he admitted he was wrong to was Shane and vice versa. Unlike Vince, Shane had no problem whatsoever admitting he was wrong about something. Paul smiled.

"Any change?" He asked.

Vince looked back at his son and sighed.

"Not really. Doctor said Shane-O attempted to flip him off."

Paul burst into laughter at hearing that.

"What?" He asked once he was able to speak.

Vince smiled.

"The doctor did something; I think he pressed too hard on Shane's chest… And when he looked down at Shane's hand… Yeah… He was flipping him off." Vince replied.

"Ha ha ha ha! Yeah, that sounds like Shane-O!"

Vince smiled. He was really glad the presence of his son in law was enough to make him feel better than he was earlier… But the situation with Shawn still disturbed him a little. He knew he was wrong to jump down Shawn's throat the night before about what happened. Shawn was right – Vince knew next to nothing of what happened when Shawn was with Austin Payne, mostly because of how he refused to talk about it. Vince should have taken that as a sign. And if that wasn't bad enough, Vince had seen how Shawn shook whenever a guy went to give him a hug. It might have been subtle shaking, but he saw it. He wished he was thinking clearly and not acting on anger, guilt and sadness when he went to see Shawn after Shane flat lined the night before. He knew he hurt Shawn, that was what he was aiming to do, but it didn't feel right to him.

_As a matter of fact… This whole situation doesn't feel right…_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Wow, major writers block with this chapter…. Not to mention I typed the majority of it while at my cousins house in New Jersey (which is where I still am right now). I was going to continue this chapter to show the arrival of Stone Cold Steve Austin, but after consulting csimiamigirl73, I decided not to. I have no idea what I'm going to do next with this, so I guess you can expect an update for Like Old Times.  
When I get an idea for this, I'll be sure to work on it.  
The chapter title is a line in the song 'Apologize' by OneRepublic.**


	29. When Guilt Fills Your Head

Dark Reflections

Chapter 29

When Guilt Fills Your Head

Shawn ran straight for the elevator and punched the button to go down. He paced back and forth, running his hands through his hair and fighting off a new wave of tears as he did so. Amanda was watching him in the distance and decided to approach him.

"Shawn,"

She watched as he leaned against the wall and slammed his fist against it several times.

"Shawn, are you ok?" She asked.

Shawn kept his head against the wall, but turned his face slightly so he could peer out at Amanda.

"Does it look like I'm fucking ok?" Shawn shouted, his voice breaking as he tried to talk to her. Amanda sighed and hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder.

"Shawn… It's ok… Vince isn't that angry with you…"

Shawn sighed and rubbed his eyes against his arm.

"That's not the point, Amanda…" He whispered, making her sigh.

"Then what is the point, Shawn? You can't turn back the hands of time. And even if you could, would you honestly be able to change anything from happening? Think about it..," She paused for a moment, then sighed and kept talking.

"Listen… What happened last night wasn't your fault. You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened to Vince's son." She told him.

He grew angry and once again slammed his fist against the wall, then pushed himself away from it and glared down at her.

"Yes it is, goddammit! It's my fucking fault, ok, Amanda? I refused to say who was involved and because of me… Shane could have died. Fuck, Paul could have died. Even Vince could have died," Shawn paused when he heard the elevator chime, signifying it had arrived on their floor.

The doors opened and the people on the elevator got out.

"I'm just a hazard, Amanda. Forget you met me." Shawn stated and swiftly slid into the elevator, then pressed the first floor button.

Amanda and Shawn stared at each other sadly as the doors closed and the elevator brought Shawn to his desired destination.

When the elevator arrived at the first floor, Shawn ducked out of the way of people trying to get on and ran straight for the exit. As soon as he got out of the hospital and went to turn the corner to hail a Taxi, he crashed head first into none other than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

"Ah fuck it all to hell! Would you please watch where the fuck you're going, you dumb son of a bitch,"

Steve pulled himself up and looked down at the poor bastard that crashed into him. He saw it was Shawn and a look of grief swept over his face.

"Oh my God, Shawn," Steve extended a hand, which Shawn took, and pulled him up, then dusted him off and patted him on the shoulder.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry about what I said… But you really shouldn't be..," Steve thought back to his conversation with Paul from the night before.

"Wait a minute… What are you doing out here, son?" Steve asked.

"I'm leaving." Shawn responded matter of factly, something Steve hated more than people who told him he needed to stop drinking.

"Well then, where ya heading off to, son?" Steve asked, making Shawn sigh angrily and run a hand through his hair.

"Listen… Last time I checked, I'm not your son. You're only like 3 years older than me. That's a bad habit and you need to stop," Shawn stated, then sighed again. "Second, because we're of no relation and were once on rocky terms, I think I don't owe you any sort of explanation. So you can fuck off and leave me alone. Ok?" Shawn asked.

He went to walk away, but Steve grabbed his arm and pulled him back so the two were once again face to face. Steve looked around and saw some people looking back at him, so he decided to pull Shawn away. He sat down on a bench with Shawn somewhat far away from where the entrance to the hospital was.

"Don't you ever fucking talk to me like that again," Steve mumbled, kind of ashamed he was about to blow up at Shawn in front of dozens of onlookers, some of them being patients.

"I'm your fucking friend, Shawn. I'm trying to help you. I know you have no damn interest in me and the rest of the gang, but all we want is to see you get better, that's all… We're worried about you, like it or not. And we don't know when we bother you, so we need you to start telling us when you find us annoying."

Shawn crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the side walk. He was hearing Steve's words, but he didn't care enough to listen closely to what he was saying, mostly because he heard it many times before. It meant nothing to him by now. He was never allowed to go home to see his wife or his kids. He had to be with Paul almost every minute of every day and it was driving him insane.

"Maybe I don't want anyone to care." He mumbled under his breath, making Steve look over at him.

"What did you just say?" Steve asked.

Shawn rolled his eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Nothing, goddammit. Nothing." He replied.

Steve cracked his knuckles and ran his hands over his head. Shawn knew it as a sign that Steve was starting to get really pissed off, but he didn't really care.

"Look,"

Steve got up and knelt down in front of Shawn so he was able to look him in the eyes.

"I know you want to go home. You want your wife and your kids more than anything right now. Why don't you wait until I go visit Shane and talk to Vince..? You and I will go out for some lunch and then head back to Texas. I'll take you home myself. Sound good?" Steve asked, once again trying to break the barrier Shawn had put up.

Steve was quite disappointed when he saw the skeptic look on Shawn's face hadn't been replaced by a huge smile. Shawn continued staring at him and then suddenly started nodding his head no.

"I appreciate the gesture, Steve. But I have to pass. Go visit Shane. Stay here for all I fucking care," Shawn and Steve both stood up at the same time.

Shawn tried to leave, whereas Steve tried to block him to make him stay.

"I want to get out of here. Please move out of my way." Shawn growled.

Steve sighed sadly and stepped to the side.

"You're making a mistake, Shawn. I don't think an apology is gonna get you anywhere after the dust settles with this one." Steve stated, making Shawn turn to look at him.

"Good." He retorted, then turned around and continued walking away.

Steve watched Shawn walk away from him and silently wondered what could have possibly happened to change such a humble, religious man into a careless monster. He sighed and walked back into the hospital.

Shawn kept walking until he reached the far end of the hospital's parking lot. He grew tired and hailed a taxi, then headed back to his hotel. The whole ride, which took about 25 to 30 minutes, was just plain nerve wracking for Shawn. He honestly couldn't get the McMahons – especially Shane – out of his head. He hurt them deeper than words could ever express, whether it was intentional or not. Steve was right; a simple apology would never suffice for Vince. It wasn't the type of 'sorry' he deserved.

_A life for a life..?_

Shawn tried to shake the dark thoughts from his mind. He would never forgive himself if Shane suddenly died. Hell, he was having enough trouble trying to forgive himself with Shane being in a coma.

_And just to think, if I would have said something…_

Shawn's mind went back to the pills Paul always carried, mostly Tylenol and/or Aleve…

_Those could sure as hell do the trick..._

Shawn once again let his mind wander and then mentally smacked himself for thinking like that.

_What about the razors?_

Shawn growled under his breath and bit down on his lip to try and make the voices he suppressed so many years before finally stop.

The taxi finally arrived at the hotel. When Shawn walked into the lobby, he saw the very familiar blonde head of spikey hair that left the WWE a short time before. As he was about to sneak passed the receptionist so he could get the elevator, the man spotted him.

"Shawn? Hey, Shawny! Is that you,"

Shawn grumbled to himself, then turned around to face the young man, who proceeded to run up to him and give him a hug.

"Hey, buddy! Long time no see! I like what you've done with yourself. That 80's pretty boy long hair had to go." He teased.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Jay…" Shawn mumbled.

"Ah, come on, Shawn. Admit it. You missed me." Jay "Christian" Reso stated with a huge smile on his face.

Shawn couldn't help but smirk a little at the look Jay was giving him.

"Ok, I missed you a little bit," Shawn paused to hug Jay again, this time he meant it.

"How have you been?" Shawn asked.

Jay shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

"Ah, same shit different day, pretty much..,"

Jay knew a lot about what was going on in the WWE, especially with Shawn… Hell, who didn't? He knew from his best friend Adam "Edge" Copeland that a lot of people were afraid to talk to Shawn because of his random, pitiful temper tantrums whenever people started getting too mushy with him. Adam had spoken to his good old buddy Shane McMahon, who let a few minor things slip, and he passed those things to Jay. Jay was smart and decided not to bring anything up with Shawn. The last thing he wanted to do was piss him off.

"So how's the wife and kids?"

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. I haven't seen them." He replied, making Jay frown.

"So you mean Vince hasn't let you go home yet? That's ridiculous. Let me guess… He has Paul trailing you like a loyal guard dog 24/7..?" Jay asked, somewhat sarcastically.

Shawn nodded his head.

"Yeah. Paul's head is so far up Vince's ass, I'm not sure where Vince ends and Paul starts."

Jay almost choked on his spit when he heard Shawn say that. He honestly couldn't help himself when he burst into hysterics.

"Oh my God, Shawn… That was way too funny," Jay stated and patted Shawn on the shoulder.

"Nice joke." He stated, making Shawn give him a cheap smile.

"Thanks. But I highly doubt you came over here to ask about my family… So what can I really do for you?"

Jay sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing, Shawn. I don't have a secret agenda for talking to you. I just miss you, ok? I haven't seen you in forever… I guess I chose the wrong time to try and talk, huh? Well… I'll tell Adam to give you my cell phone number… So I guess we can talk when you're feeling better, ok?" Jay asked, making Shawn narrow his eyes slightly, but nod his head anyway.

"Yeah, I guess. Sorry." Shawn replied.

Jay could hear how much emotion was lacking from Shawn's voice, it was almost as if he was remembering how to respond to certain situations from prior experiences, but he just didn't care anymore.

"Ok. See you around then." Jay paused to hug Shawn again.

"Bye." Shawn responded.

He once again turned his attention back to the elevator while Jay headed towards the door of the hotel.

"Hey, Shawn," Jay shouted from across the room, making Shawn grumble and turn to look at him again.

"Keep your head held high, man! Things get worse before they get better. You'll see." Jay waved goodbye one last time and walked out of the hotel.

Shawn rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the elevator for the third time.

_Things get worse before they get better._

Jay's voice kept playing in his head like an annoying song that you couldn't forget the lyrics to, no matter how hard you tried. Shawn sighed and let a tear drop from his eye.

_How much longer do I have to wait for things to get better? And how can things get any fucking worse than this?_

Somewhere, deep in Shawn's mind, he knew that something was about to go horribly wrong.

* * *

**A/N: Aha! Another chapter has been completed! Sorry for the long wait for an update. I had a really bad case of writers block with this story. My dad has been on vacation for a week already, he's coming home on Friday…. But him being gone got me thinking about things I could have happen in this chapter. And, just like Chapter 28, I decided to not make this one that long. Future chapters are going to be insanely long, I could tell this already, but if you guys want, I'll try to split them up as much as possible.**

**The title of the chapter is a line in the song 'Secret Valentine' by We the Kings.**

**So… Let me know what you think!**

**-Chessy**


	30. Friendship Is A Touchy Subject

Dark Reflections

Chapter 30

Friendship Is A Touchy Subject

Steve walked into the hospital and up to the main desk.

"Hi. Uh, I'm here to see Shane McMahon. He was brought in here last night with a bullet wound..?" Steve half asked.

The receptionist nodded her head and looked down at a book.

"He's in the ICU on the second floor." She replied and pointed in the direction of the elevator.

Steve nodded his thanks and walked towards the elevator, then pushed the button for the second floor and waited somewhat impatiently.

Now he knew why Shawn was acting the way he was. Things didn't seem good for Shane when Paul called him the night before. Hearing that Shane was still in the ICU made him feel even worse about the situation. This whole thing was blown way out of proportion… And it all started when they got Shawn back. Steve sighed and looked up when he heard the elevator chime. He calmly waited for people to get off before sliding in and politely, a word which never went with him, held the doors open for a lady in a wheelchair.

"Where ya headed, ma'am?" He asked.

"Fourth floor, please." She replied.

Steve nodded his head and punched the 2nd and 4th floor buttons. The elevator stopped on the 2nd floor, so Steve slipped out and started walking down the hall.

Steve sighed when he noticed Paul and Stephanie in the hallway.

"Yeah but I don't understand why you haven't offered to take him home to his family… You know he'll be ok when he can talk to Becky." Stephanie whispered.

Paul sighed and rubbed his head.

"It's not that easy, Steph… I don't want him to go home and have to face his wife in the current state he's in. You don't know him like I do… He'd be even worse if he went home," Paul paused to sigh but spotted Steve instead.

"Hey Steve! Nice to see you could make it on such short notice." Paul stated as Steve walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"You kidding me, Paul? This is an emergency," Steve separated from Paul and looked over at Stephanie.

"How are you holding up, Steph?" He asked and embraced her as well.

Stephanie sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ok, I guess..,"

Once the two separated, Stephanie sighed and wiped a tear from her eye.

"It's just stressful… I'm hoping everything turns out ok… I mean..," Stephanie paused again and sighed.

"I just don't know how to express myself…" She whispered.

Paul put his arm around his wife and let her cry on his shoulder. He looked up at Steve and nodded his head sadly.

"It's tough." Paul whispered.

Steve nodded his head in understanding.

"I could imagine..," He paused to try and think of what to say.

"Was Shawn with you guys before?" Steve asked.

He saw Paul's eyes narrow slightly and wished he hadn't brought up the subject.

"Of course he was… And… Of course… He took off… Little bastard is always running from his problems…" Paul mumbled.

Steve would have smacked Paul if he didn't understand the stress he was going through. Not only with the whole Shawn situation… But now Shane was in the hospital…

"Well… At least Payne is behind bars and nobody else can hurt Shawn,"

Steve saw the skepticism on Paul's face and raised an eyebrow.

"What now?" He asked.

"Well… After Vince shouted at Shawn last night and blamed him for what happened to Shane, Shawn said that there was somebody else involved. He didn't mention who… So I guess we'd have to press Payne for the answer somehow…" Paul replied, making Steve sigh.

"Oh great, that's just what you guys need… Did he give any hints?"

"Why the hell would he? He's Shawn for God's sake…" Paul replied as he ran a hand over his face.

Steve narrowed his eyes at Paul.

"I understand you're frustrated, but don't take that damn tone with me… Got it?" He asked.

Paul sighed.

"Yeah… I'm sorry, Steve… This is just really stressing. I don't know what to do right now… I mean… I know Shawn should go home but… I just can't help but think about what it'll do to his relationship with Becky. I don't want him to scare her… And I don't want her to make him uncomfortable… And we all know Cameron, he's gonna ask a billion questions… So I think that the safest place for Shawn right now is here with us." Paul replied.

Steve sighed again and rubbed his head.

"Paul… You know damn well Shawn will be perfectly fine at home. He _wants_ to be with his family. He's sick of being around all of us. That's what's making him so uncomfortable."

Paul narrowed his eyes at Steve but decided against blowing up at him. That wouldn't be a very smart move on his part. Anything could set Steve off…

"You here to see Shane?" Paul asked through gritted teeth.

Steve nodded his head yes.

"Yes. But I want to talk to you about something first,"

Steve waited for Paul to release Stephanie, then put his arm around Paul and led him away.

"Listen… As promised, I started asking around to see if I could get any information on the gun Shane had. Turns out it's not even his." Steve whispered, making Paul turn to look at him.

"What? Where the hell did he get it from, then?" Paul asked.

Steve shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know… Do you know a… Jason Arhndt? Or a Rodney Leinhardt?" Steve asked.

Paul raised an eyebrow at both names.

"They sound oddly familiar…" Paul paused for a little while to think.

"Oh my God!"

Paul put a hand over his mouth in shock.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Remember the 'Mean Street Posse?' My brother-in-law's old faction? Two of the guys were his old high school friends… The other guy was just a random dude Vince grabbed from the free agency?" Paul asked, making Steve nod his head.

"Yeah, those annoying douche bags that used to come out in the sweater vests… They were like… High class Greenwich wrestlers, right?" Steve asked, making Paul nod his head in agreement.

"Yeah, them. Rodney Leinhardt was one of them… And Jason Arhndt went by 'Joey Abs' while he was in the business."

Steve put a hand over his mouth as well.

"Holy fucking shit," Steve mumbled and looked at the floor.

"His own friends gave him a gun?" Steve asked, making Paul shrug his shoulders.

"I don't know… You're the one who brought up the names… So… How did you get those names?" Paul asked.

Steve sighed.

"Well..," Steve paused to take a piece of paper out of his pocket.

Paul looked at the paper and noticed a bunch of names on them along with serial numbers, a date and method of payment.

"I checked out a couple of gun shops… Of course, the ones that my friends run, and noticed the same names coming up a few times. The guys at the shops said they were showing Connecticut drivers licenses… And they were traveling together… I just got a gut feeling… Decided to ask my buddies if they could give me the names and the other information listed with them… I thought I would bring it with me and run it by you before anything…"

Paul nodded his head at Steve.

"Yeah, that was a good move on your part… We can't tell Vince, Linda, Stephanie or Marissa about this. They'd never forgive Rodney or Jay… Although I'm sure they'd come up with a good reason for doing what they did."

Steve glared at Paul.

"There's no such thing as a good reason for helping a non-experienced person get a gun, Paul. Especially when said person doesn't like holding guns and shouldn't be holding the damn things in the first place! Shane shouldn't have been dragged into this situation in the first place." Steve stated.

"He was involved from the beginning, Steve. I couldn't cut him out of it just because he's a McMahon. Vince was involved just as much as Shane was. They're my family and they love Shawn almost as much as I do. I had no choice but to keep them involved." Paul replied through gritted teeth.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest, further wrinkling the paper he was holding in the process.

"That's not my point, Paul… Well… It kind of was… But… UGH! Shane had no reason to be kept in the loop. Why the hell was he so hell bent on following you guys last night?"

"Because, unlike Vince and I, Shane HEARD the weird tone in Shawn's voice last night when he told us he wanted to wait for the keys to Shane's car instead of going with Vasquez. He CARES, Steve. He cares more about his friends than he does about himself. And that's the kid's problem. He didn't let it go last night and that's what almost got him killed." Paul retorted, making Steve sigh and uncross his arms.

"You're right. The kid does care a little too much. But that's what makes him a really good friend."

Paul nodded his head in agreement.

"You're right about that, buddy," Paul paused for a moment and sighed.

"So do you want to go see him now or what?" Paul asked.

Steve nodded his head.

"Of course I do,"

He paused to fold the piece of extremely wrinkled paper up and put it back in his pocket.

"Let's go." Steve stated.

The two started walking back towards Shane's room. Paul stopped them once they were outside.

"Remember,"

Steve turned to look at Paul.

"Not a word about what you told me."

Steve nodded his head and walked into the room with Paul.

Vince and Linda looked up when Paul and Steve walked in.

"Steve," Vince stood up to give Steve a hug.

"Thanks for coming… It's a shock to see you here." Vince stated.

Steve nodded his head.

"I'm glad Paul called me… I wanna help you out as much as possible." Steve told Vince, who nodded his head in thanks.

"Thank you, Steve. It means a lot to us."

Steve stepped back from Vince and looked down at Shane.

"No change, I'm guessing? How long as he been like this?" He asked.

Vince sighed as he looked down at his son.

"Since last night… They said he should be waking up soon… He might still be unconscious because of all the pain medication they pumped into him… Poor kid," Vince paused to look back up at Steve.

"So what brings you up here? Just visiting Shane?" Vince asked.

Steve nodded his head.

"Yeah… And I had to talk to Paul about a few things..,"

When Steve noticed the look on Vince's face, he sighed and continued.

"Mostly about Shawn. I ran into him outside… And to be honest, I'm kind of worried about his state of mind."

Vince rolled his eyes.

"Who isn't? We all know he's going to snap sooner or later… It's just a matter of time. And next time he loses control of himself, I don't want anyone getting in the middle of it,"

Steve watched as Vince sat down next to Shane.

"I know how he gets when he loses control of himself. But now it's just worse. I'd hate to see somebody get stuck in the middle… I don't want anyone to wind up like Shane…" Vince's voice trailed off as another voice chimed in.

"What about Shane now?"

* * *

**A/N: Wow. I can't believe this is Chapter 30 of Dark Reflections… It's so hard to believe that this story is going somewhere! I know I'm acting weird, but I'm really proud of how this story is coming out.**

**The chapter name is the first album released by We the Kings in 2005, 'Friendship Is A Touchy Subject'**

**R&R please.**

**-Chessy**


	31. The Devil's Language Taste Of Lust

Dark Reflections

Chapter 31

The Devil's Language Taste Of Lust

"What about Shane now?"

Vince and Steve looked at one another. They followed the voice to the bed and saw the 36 year old Shane McMahon looking up at them with a confused puppy dog look on his face. Vince allowed the shock of seeing Shane awake and alert to settle in for a few moments before smiling and pretty much pouncing on his son.

"SHANE!" He shouted as he landed and hugged him.

"Ow! Dad, get off!" Shane shouted and squirmed away from Vince.

The 246 pound man was a little too much for Shane's tender chest to bear. Vince jumped back as quickly as he could and looked down at Shane, who had a hand to his chest and was looking at Vince with pain and confusion etched on his face.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you." Vince stated as he locked eyes with his son.

"Yeah… Don't worry about it..," Shane replied as he looked around the room.

He noticed Paul was in the room.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice filled with concern.

Paul looked around and met the odd stares of everyone else in the room, then approached his brother in law.

"What are you talking about?"

Shane nodded his head in disbelief.

"Why aren't you with Shawn? I know damn well he needs you more than this family does," Shane paused for a moment to think about what he just said.

"Wait a minute… Why does everyone in this room look like somebody they love just died?" Shane asked.

Vince literally smacked his forehead as soon as he heard Shane's question.

"Because of what happened to you, genius. Now why do you think this family doesn't need me as much as Shawn does?" Paul asked.

Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Because he wants to kill himself."

Paul's eyes widened when the words 'kill himself' escaped Shane's lips.

"What the fuck are you talking about, Shane? How could you possibly know what's going through Shawn's head at the moment? I can't even figure him out."

Vince looked at Paul, who had a strange look on his face as he looked Shane in the eyes. Vince then looked down at Shane and sighed when he saw Shane looked quite determined. The determined look soon changed… And it looked like Shane was thinking about what Paul had just said. He looked very confused.

"Well, Shane? How do you know?" Stephanie asked out of nowhere; making him look at her, then back at Paul.

"I… I don't know. It's almost like I can hear his thoughts in my head. Something is telling me he shouldn't be alone right now." Shane replied.

Paul sighed and rubbed his head.

"Okay, okay… Where is he right now?"

Paul turned to look at Steve, since he was the one who saw and spoke to him last, but paused and widened his eyes when he heard a different voice respond.

"Sitting on the balcony of your hotel room."

Paul turned to look at Shane again.

"Ok… This is fucking weird. How could you have possibly known that?" Paul asked, walking closer to Shane as he did so.

Vince put his arm in front of Paul to block him from getting too close to Shane.

"That's far enough." He whispered when Paul looked at him strangely.

"It's ok, dad," Shane stated and lowered Vince's arm for him.

"He's not going to hurt me,"

Shane looked at Vince in an odd way and then turned his attention to Paul.

"I already told you; I don't know how I know what Shawn's doing or what he's thinking of. Before I woke up… I was able to see and hear things as clear as day. I saw him running into Steve in the parking lot… And going to the hotel… And I heard him thinking about killing himself. Tylenol and Aleve were suggested… As well as a razor blade,"

Shane saw that his words were affecting both Paul and Steve to the point where they were looking at him like he was insane.

"What?" He asked.

Steve sighed and rubbed his head.

"Now, son… I've seen and heard a lot of strange things in my lifetime… But that has got to be one of the weirdest. I mean… You were unconscious! How could you have known any of that?"

"Sometimes people can experience premonition,"

Steve and Paul looked over at Vince.

"When people sleep, they dream things that haven't happened yet. They see faces of people they never met before. Later on, they might meet the people or experience their dream. I have to admit I'm not a big believer in it… But Shane's mind is always open… And he tends to have premonitions. He called a few things… I mean… In complete detail… Right before they happened. This could be just another premonition for him." Vince explained.

Shane rolled his eyes at his father.

"He sent me to a psychiatrist for nothing."

Steve and Paul looked at one another, both not believing the two McMahon men in front of them.

"Okay… What's one thing you called right before it happened? And how can you prove that you actually said it?" Paul asked.

Steve turned to look at Paul.

"No, I think I can get to the bottom of this," Steve stated and turned to look at Shane again.

"You said you were able to see and hear things as clear as day. What did Shawn say to me that pissed me off?"

"'Listen… Last time I checked, I'm not your son. You're only like 3 years older than me. That's a bad habit and you need to stop. Second, because we're of no relation and were once on rocky terms, I think I don't owe you any sort of explanation. So you can fuck off and leave me alone. Ok?'" Shane replied without hesitation, making Steve's eyes widen.

Steve turned to look at Paul.

"I suggest you get outta here and see if Shawn is ok." He stated.

Paul looked Steve in the eyes, not fully convinced.

"Why? Is Shane's creepiness getting to you?" Paul asked, rolling his eyes as he did so.

Steve nodded his head no.

"Although Shane is being kinda creepy, that's beside the point at the moment… That's exactly what Shawn said." Steve replied.

"Word for word?" Paul asked, now sounding a little more serious about the situation.

Steve nodded his head in agreement.

Paul looked over at Shane in shock and then turned his attention to his wife.

"I have to go…" He whispered, making her nod her head.

"I know. And I understand." She replied, making Paul sigh.

"I sure as hell wish I did."

He kissed her goodbye and ran out of the room.

Steve looked at Shane.

"Don't get me wrong, kid… I'm glad you're ok… But you're fucking weird."

Shane smiled at Steve.

"Thanks, Steve. I try."

Vince chuckled and patted Shane on the head, making Shane raise an eyebrow.

"You don't have to try… Your DNA is enough."

Vince smiled at Shane when the young man looked up at him.

"You're talking about your side of the family, right Vince?" Linda asked.

Vince looked at his wife and smiled innocently.

"Of course I am, my sweet wife. Now would you and Stephanie be as of so kind as to leave the room? There's something I need to speak to Shane about..,"

Vince watched as Stephanie and Linda left the room. He sighed and sat back down next to Shane.

"Now that the mushy shit is over… You're going to talk to me. What the fuck were you thinking? Why the hell did you have a gun last night? And, more importantly, where did you get it from?" Vince shouted.

"Vince… Don't scream at the kid. That's not going to do you any good."

Vince looked at Steve.

"Don't tell me how to speak to my son,"

He turned his attention back to Shane, who was staring at him.

"Speak up."

Shane sighed.

"What makes you think I want to talk about this right now?" Shane asked.

Vince leaned in so his face was only a few inches away from Shane's.

"Because I'm your father and I'm telling you to talk about it. If you don't want to be written out of my will, I suggest you drop your stubborn Irish pride and talk to me." Vince stated through gritted teeth.

Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Dad… I really don't want to talk to you about it,"

Shane saw Vince's eyes narrow angrily, so he sighed.

"Jesus Christ, fine. Where do you want me to start?"

"Wherever you want. Just tell me everything." Vince stated, finally pulling away from his son and sitting down like a normal human being.

Shane looked at Steve and suddenly got a feeling that he knew something important about the situation, but decided not to question it and looked back at his father.

"Okay… A few days after the trial, I started looking into Vasquez's history, mostly because the name Payne gave in court sounded familiar from somewhere. I've been a little suspicious of Vasquez since I met him, but I didn't want to start any trouble. Anyway, I found out that Vasquez was actually Theodore Rodriguez… He hasn't been a part of the police department for 5 years because he was caught in an illegal drug scandal in Washington State. And when he moved to Iowa he changed his name to Pedro Vasquez."

"Wasn't that huge drug scandal in 1992?" Steve asked, slightly confused as to how Shane could have possibly known that much information about Vasquez without having to research all of it.

Shane nodded his head.

"Yeah, that was back in '92. And I know what you're thinking. I did a paper on it in college for one of my courses. That's how I remember so much about it," Shane paused to look back at Vince.

"Anyway, I noticed how nervous Shawn seemed at the arena after the main event. He had been acting weird all night. That's not normal for him, even as he is now. So, after they left, I went to the locker room and noticed they left their gym bags behind. My suspicion was going to kill me, so I decided to follow them. By the time I got there, Vasquez had already knocked Paul out and he was going after Shawn, who was already unconscious. I… I just had to step in… I mean… I'm sure they would've done the same if it was me…" Shane explained.

Vince nodded his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"What about the gun, Shane? Where did you get it?" He asked.

Shane smirked at his father and locked eyes with Steve for a moment, kind of telling him he knew that Steve knew the truth about the gun. Shane looked back at Vince.

"I know I just looked at Steve, but I can assure you I didn't get the gun from him. He's not stupid enough to give me one," Shane saw the stern look on Vince's face.

"I honestly can't, nor do I want to, tell you where I got it. It'll piss you off and make you want to kill people. Trust me, dad. You don't want to know the truth." Shane replied.

"Yeah, but you fail to realize that I need and want to know the truth. If there are other people to blame for what happened I'll gladly blame them. But if it's all on you, you have to tell me that right now." Vince stated, sounding much calmer about the situation.

Shane sighed and was about to answer, but Steve cleared his throat.

"Shane isn't the only person for you to blame for getting the gun. There are other people involved."

Vince looked over at Steve with a confused look on his face.

"How the hell do you know?" He asked, making Steve laugh.

"I have connections."

Shane went from thoroughly enjoying the almost-fight between his father and Steve Austin to getting another gut feeling that something was wrong. He felt sharp pains in his wrists, so he looked down and noticed several dark red lines appear.

"Oh shit…" He whispered, making Steve and Vince turn to look at him.

"What's the matter?" Vince asked, noticing the odd look on his sons face.

Shane slowly looked up at Vince, shakily breathing through his mouth.

"There's something wrong." He whispered and then looked back down at his wrists.

Vince and Steve looked at one another oddly, then turned to look at Shane again. Vince reached out and grabbed a hold of Shane's right hand, then turned it and looked at his wrist. He watched as the dark red lines turned into cuts, and several drops of blood started to leak out.

"What the fuck?" Steve shouted.

Shane looked up at Steve again.

"It's Shawn. Something's wrong with Shawn."

* * *

Paul rushed into the hotel room he shared with Shawn and looked around for him. He noticed the room was empty and wanted to smack himself in the forehead. Suddenly he heard his brother in laws voice in his head.

_Sitting on the balcony of your hotel room._

Paul slowly poked his head around the corner of the room to see Shawn sitting on the balcony, just as Shane had said, except now it was pouring rain out. He saw how violently Shawn was shivering. Paul decided to approach him as slow as humanly possible, which included opening the sliding door to the balcony at a ridiculously slow rate. Once he got the door open, he stepped onto the balcony, shivered at how cold the rain was and observed his best friend. It was obvious to him that Shawn had been sitting in the rain for quite some time. His hair was matted to his forehead, his shirt was drenched to the point it was almost see-through and his lips were tinted blue. Now that he was closer, Paul noticed the smell of blood in the air.

He rushed forward, not caring about freaking Shawn out, and grabbed a hold of his hands, then turned them so he was able to see his wrists.

"Jesus Christ, Shawn! What the hell did you do?"

* * *

**A/N: Aha! Bet you didn't see that coming!**

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone. They really help my lazy ass break free from procrastination and work on this story.**

**I had to stop typing this and mourn for a little while; due to the fact Shane McMahon announced his resignation from the WWE on October 16, 2009, although it isn't effective until January 1, 2010… It pissed me off so much that I boycotted everything I had involving Shane (including this story) for a few days… Sorry about the extended wait. Just do what I do… Blame Shane for it.**

**The chapter name,****The Devil's Language Taste Of Lust, is a line in the song 'High Hopes In Velvet Ropes' by The Cab.**


	32. A Fight I Refuse to Lose

Dark Reflections

Chapter 32

A Fight I Refuse to Lose

Paul rushed forward, not caring about freaking Shawn out, and grabbed a hold of his hands, then turned them so he was able to see his wrists.

"Jesus Christ, Shawn! What the hell did you do,"

Shawn kept his eyes locked on the floor of the balcony. He didn't have the strength to look at Paul. He had been beating himself up emotionally for the past two hours, which was the time it took for Paul to be convinced to return to the hotel to check on him.

"Shawn! Shawn, can you hear me?" Paul shouted.

He put his hands on Shawn's shoulders and shook him. Shawn willed himself to look up at Paul without moving his head.

"Yes, I can hear you… I just don't care enough to answer." He whispered.

Paul narrowed his eyebrows angrily.

"How long have you been sitting out here? It's pouring rain, in case you haven't noticed! And that definitely isn't good for you. What have you been doing out here?" Paul asked.

He tried to refrain from sounding angry, and it looked like he succeeded when Shawn finally looked up at him with a sad look on his face.

"I got bored inside… And it wasn't raining when I first sat out here. There was a calming breeze in the air that I thought would help me think…" Shawn's voice, which was barely above a whisper, trailed off, however, his mouth opened and closed.

It looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't quite know how to express himself. He continued to shiver violently. Paul sighed and rubbed Shawn's shoulders.

"Alright… Relax, Shawny… Relax… Come on… I'll help you up. You need to go inside and warm up. Your lips are blue."

Shawn sighed and, with Paul's help, shakily got to his feet. They walked into the hotel room, where the heat was blaring thanks to the balcony door being open for so long. Shawn stopped walking when Paul let go of his shoulders to close the balcony door.

"What are you doing?" Shawn asked when he noticed Paul was running towards the hotel room door.

Paul stopped short and pointed at the bathroom, which was located to the left of the hotel room door.

"Getting a towel. You can't sit there in your sopping wet clothes… Unless you want to take a shower… That would warm you up right away!" Paul offered and once again gestured to the bathroom.

"Or send me into hypothermic shock." Shawn snarled.

Paul narrowed his eyes and grabbed a towel, then walked over to Shawn and wrapped it around his freezing body.

Paul watched as Shawn attempted to warm himself up and sighed. He walked over to the heater to check the temperature in the room.

"Seventy-one… That's pretty damn warm… Just sit down on the bed and,"

Paul turned around to see Shawn curled into a ball on the bed with the towel wrapped around him. Paul snickered and took a few moments to try and figure out what to do. He went back into the bathroom to get two more towels, then walked over to Shawn and put them on him.

"Getting warm yet?" Paul asked.

He heard Shawn's teeth chattering.

"No!" Shawn shouted and continued shivering.

Paul sighed and sat down next to Shawn.

"You shouldn't have stayed in the rain for so long, Shawn. I understand you were upset and you needed to clear your mind, but you could have opened the blinds and looked out the window, you know… Sitting in the rain in Montreal during autumn isn't a great idea…"

Paul began to rub Shawn's back, trying to help Shawn warm up. Shawn sighed and continued shivering.

"Maybe I should change my clothes…" Shawn whispered, making Paul chuckle.

"Maybe you should take a quick warm shower and put warm clothes on."

Shawn lifted his head to narrow his eyes at Paul.

"Maybe you should shut the fuck up." He retorted as he put his head back down on the bed and continued shivering and allowing his teeth to chatter uncontrollably.

Paul sighed and rubbed his face.

_Why the hell is he being so difficult?_

"Hey, Shawn..? Will you at least tell me what happened to your wrists?" Paul asked.

Shawn sighed and moved his head over to he was able to peer out of the army of towels on top of him to look at Paul.

"The handcuffs from last night… I took the bandages off… The stitches tore when I slammed my fists on the wall… Because I was really, really angry and depressed and I didn't know what else to do… I didn't hurt myself, if that's what you're thinking…" Shawn replied.

Paul sighed and rubbed his head.

"If you say so, Shawn…"

Shawn once again lifted his head to glare at Paul.

"You don't believe me?" He asked.

Paul looked Shawn in the eyes and smiled sadly.

"I'd like to believe you, Shawn… But you know how things have been going lately… We've both been keeping secrets from each other."

Shawn raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that? As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one that's been keeping secrets here… My secrets are hurtful and dangerous to everyone that they involve. If I would have said something sooner, Shane never would've been shot… And a lot of things that are probably going to start happening just never would have come to be…" Shawn replied.

Paul chuckled at him.

"Shawn… Let's face it… I know things that I refuse to tell anyone, because I know what it can do to you and other people that are involved… I don't want to see you hurting anymore, Shawn. It's sad to see how much you've already changed. I don't want to see you change any more than you already did."

"If you were in my shoes… I'm sure you wouldn't know which emotion to react to first." Shawn replied without batting an eyelash.

Paul sighed and nodded his head.

"Okay, Shawn. You got me there… I need to ask a favor of you, though… Do you think you would be able to talk to me more about how you feel? I'm sure you might be able to clear the fog in your head a little easier if you had somebody to talk to about it… If you don't want to talk to me, I could call Randy Orton over and you can talk to him… You know he's willing to help you out…" Paul begged.

He honestly didn't know what to do to help his best friend anymore. Shawn sighed and put his head back on the bed.

"I guess I could talk a little more… And maybe a conversation with Orton would do some good… I should have listened to him when I first came back…"

Paul put a hand on Shawn's back and patted him, then rubbed him.

"It's not your fault, Shawn… You've been through a lot of psychological trauma. I honestly don't know how you're able to function every day… I can almost be certain that I would be locked in a padded room thanks to an inability to function. But then again… I'm sure I would have you egging me on to push through the darkness and continue onward in life. I know you, Shawn. You're not a quitter. That's why this is so hard for you." Paul stated.

Shawn nodded his head in agreement.

"I know I'm not a quitter… But you have no idea how many times I think of quitting… And how many different ways of quitting I can think of. I can't deal with being like this all the time. It's not me, but I can't stop it."

Paul blinked away tears thanks to the thought of walking into a hotel room and finding Shawn dead with the dreaded suicide note sitting on the bed with Paul's name on it.

"Come here, Shawn,"

Shawn looked up and saw Paul's arms were open. It took him a moment or two to realize Paul was waiting for a hug. He sat up and crawled forward, losing a towel as he did so, and collapsed into Paul's open arms, allowing Paul to envelope him in a hug.

"I'm very sorry you feel that way, and I'm even sorrier that you don't like sympathy. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you. You're my best friend and I love you… I promise I'll always be here to protect you."

* * *

**A/N: Woo-hoo! Man, I'm on a role this week, aren't I? This is what happens when I'm extremely bored and school is done. Figured I'd upload a short chapter for a quick in-between, just like I did with 'Like Old Times.'**

**And guess what? I finally finished re-writing 'Stanley McMahon'! (Insert applause here) That means only 'When Will It End?' is left to be edited and then I can finally upload some new stories! Oh man, I'm excited!**

'**A Fight I Refuse to Lose' is a line in the song 'I'll Run' by The Cab. I love them. A lot.**

**The next chapter will be more productive pending if whether or not I decide to head towards the end. What do you think?**

**Merry Christmas, everyone!**


	33. Hard Work Will Set You Free

Dark Reflections

Chapter 33

Hard Work will Set You Free

Shane sighed once again and looked up at Doctor Cooper Marano, who was glaring back down at him. Never in his time of being a doctor had Doctor Marano been asked by a gunshot patient, who had stopped breathing twice and nearly died, to be released from the hospital nearly 15 hours after he had been shot.

"Please..?" Shane tried his luck again, giving the undeniable puppy dog eyes.

He saw Doctor Marano partially roll his eyes.

_GOTCHA!_

"You're very insistent on leaving, Mr. McMahon. Any particular reason why?" He asked as he once again observed the medical charts on his clipboard, anything to avoid looking Shane in the face.

Shane went from mentally celebrating his victory over the tough as nails doctor to glaring evilly and wanting to stab somebody.

"Yes. You insist on calling me 'Mr. McMahon,' even though I've been asking you all morning to call me 'Shane.' Doctor Marano, 'Mr. McMahon' is my father. If you've been calling him 'Vince,' you've been making a mistake."

Doctor Marano smiled and jotted some things down on his clipboard.

"Alright, Shane… I got it. It's hard for me to go from referring to my patients by last name to acting like I've known them for awhile… Now, is there any pain in your chest?" He asked Shane, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Can't tell for sure, it just feels like I've been dropkicked once or twice… I can tell you what I'm sure of, though…"

Doctor Marano leaned forward in anticipation when Shane stopped talking.

"Yes?" He asked.

Shane smirked.

"I'm getting a headache from your annoying questions… And you need a breath mint."

Doctor Marano also never had to deal with a McMahon. He seriously hoped Shane would be his last.

* * *

Vince was so happy he was almost _skipping_ down the hall towards his son's hospital room. Being the loyal and loving father he was, it was his duty to return to the hotel to get some clean clothes for his son to wear. All he was able to find was a black tank top, jeans, black ankle socks, black Nikes and a black hoodie. Vince stopped at the realization that almost everything he was holding was black, and silently cursed his son for being color blind when it came to clothes. He shrugged his shoulders in a not really caring sort of way and continued happily strolling to the hospital room where his son 'patiently' sat waiting for him. Vince frowned when he saw Shane sitting Indian style on the edge of his bed, looking semi-depressed.

"What's the matter, Shane?" Vince asked, making Shane's head jerk up to look at him.

The depressed look faded from his face and was replaced with a rather large smile.

"Nothing, dad. I just want to get out of here. You know how much I hate hospitals."

Vince sighed and nodded his head. The hospital wasn't a good place for anybody, but it seemed like hell for Shane sometimes.

"Yeah, as do a lot of people… Here are your clothes," Vince paused and handed them to Shane.

"How come black is the only color you own?" He asked, making Shane smirk.

"Black is the only color I really like… You should know that by now."

Vince watched – rather closely – as Shane dressed himself. It made him slightly proud – but mostly upset – that Shane didn't ask him for any sort of help. He knew his son was independent, but bending over with a gunshot wound to the chest was tricky and dangerous for Shane. Vince watched as Shane attempted to pull on the hoodie, but groaned and doubled over in pain instead. He put a hand on Shane's back and rubbed him.

"Are you alright," Vince asked.

Shane nodded his head yes, not moving it from the bed at all.

"Do you want some help?" He asked.

Shane picked up his head slightly and nodded it again.

"Sure…"

Vince chuckled and took the hoodie off of around Shane's neck.

"Alright, sit down,"

Vince watched as Shane did what he said.

"You know the routine. Arms up,"

Shane sighed, so Vince lowered his arms and looked Shane in the eyes.

"What's the matter, kid?" He asked.

Shane looked up at Vince with a sad look on his face.

"I can't get Shawn out of my head. I know how messed up he is… I understand why he is the way he is now. I know you don't believe in this kind of stuff, dad… But… I'm being honest. There's more to him than he's letting on. Something else is really wrong…"

Vince sighed and nodded his head in disbelief.

"Enough about that, Shane. Shawn is okay. Now, come on. Put your arms up so I can get this hoodie on you and we can leave… Your mother and sister are waiting for us,"

Shane put his arms up, allowing Vince the opportunity to get the hoodie on him. Once Vince finished getting the hoodie on, he straightened it out and looked Shane in the eyes… And wasn't happy with the demonic look he was receiving.

"Shane..? What's the matter?"

Sure, Vince never believed in anything that he couldn't see, but something was telling him that there was more that meets the eye.

"Nothing… Just this whole thing with Shawn… You know more than what you're saying."

Vince raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know anything more than you do… If anything, you're the one who knows more about it than I do…" Vince replied and narrowed his eyes angrily.

He saw the evil look in Shane's eyes fade away.

"I hate that guy; he really gets on my nerves." Shane mumbled under his breath.

"What guy?" Vince asked. Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Ummm… Never mind, it's not important. Let's get out of here."

Shane stood up and grabbed his personal belongings from the bed, then walked out of the room with Vince close behind.

When the McMahon men got outside and were standing alone in the parking lot, Vince grabbed a hold of Shane's arm and made his son turn to look at him.

"We have to talk, Shane. This is getting ridiculous."

Shane looked his father in the eyes.

"Talk about what?" He asked.

"This whole situation. It's getting awkward. What were you talking about in the hospital?" Vince asked his son, who raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, dad? All I did was tell Steve what I heard in my dream… But it was almost like I was watching it unfold in front of me." Shane replied.

Vince nodded his head no.

"Not that, kid! Before… When you said you hated that guy. What guy were you talking about? I was the only one in the room with you." Vince stated.

Shane sighed.

"I told you, dad. It was nothing. Sometimes that's what you're better off knowing."

Vince growled at his son.

"Likewise."

* * *

Steve Austin pulled up with his car and motioned for the McMahon men to hop in, which they did. Shane sat in the back, glaring at Vince, who sat in the front.

"Linda and Stephanie asked if I could drop them off that the hotel, so I did. Decided to come back here and pick the two of you up… Where do you..,"

Steve noticed there was some awkward tension between father and son. He sighed and pulled over, then looked Vince in the eyes. He looked over at Shane, then at Vince. He did so for a few moments.

"What's the problem here?"

"Nothing, Steve. Don't worry about it." Shane replied without hesitation.

"That seems to be your favorite word today, Shane. The answer to everything is 'nothing.' I wish you'd just be honest for once." Vince growled, spinning around to face Shane as he did so, almost clashing heads with Steve as well.

Shane's eyes widened.

"If you paid attention to what I said half the time, you would understand that there's something wrong… Well, not really wrong… More or less… Different. As I said, it doesn't matter, because you're not interested in the problem…"

Steve held up a hand.

"Wait a minute. I need to get involved in this for a second,"

Shane and Vince looked over at Steve to see what he wanted. Steve reached back and grabbed a hold of Shane's hand, then turned it over to see… Nothing. Not a single mark on his wrist.

"Where's the cut from this morning?" He asked.

Shane shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no idea. Apparently they're not real… Just… This weird psychic connection I had with Shawn," Shane paused for a moment to sigh.

"I'm still getting the feeling that something is off."

Steve and Vince shared a look.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that Shawn admitted to being raped and said that there's somebody else involved?" Steve asked.

Vince elbowed him in the shoulder.

"Fucking moron! I didn't want him to know that!" He shouted through gritted teeth.

Shane's eyes once again widened.

"WHAT? Are you fucking kidding me, dad? You were keeping THAT big of a secret from me? I fucking knew there was something wrong," Shane paused again, this time to rest his head in his hands.

_'It's not your fault, Shawn… I'm sure I would have you egging me on to push through the darkness and continue onward in life. I know you, Shawn. You're not a quitter. That's why this is so hard for you.'_

"Fuck… Make it stop, make it stop…"

Shane began rocking slightly, trying to make the voices in his head go away. It was no use.

'_I'm very sorry you feel that way, and I'm even sorrier that you don't like sympathy. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you. You're my best friend and I love you… I promise I'll always be here to protect you.'_

"Shane? What's wrong?" Vince asked, putting a hand on his sons shoulder.

Shane looked up at Vince.

"I can't stop this whole damn premonition thing. I keep hearing Paul's voice in my head… He's talking to Shawn back at the hotel… And for some reason, I keep getting the feeling that he has something other than being Shawn's best friend on his mind."

Vince sighed and rubbed Shane's shoulder.

"It's just your imagination. There's nothing wrong between Shawn and Paul… You should know that."

Shane sighed and continued looking at his father, even after both Vince and Steve turned to face the front of the car.

_You're just saying that because you can't see the world from a different point of view… And you refuse to believe what you can't feel for yourself._

_

* * *

_

After a short and awkwardly quiet car ride to the hotel, Steve, Shane and Vince piled out of the car and walked towards the hotel. Shane stopped short and stared at the left side of the hotel for a short amount of time. Vince turned to look at him just as he smiled at…nothing.

"Nothing at all, don't bother asking." Shane stated and walked passed Vince into the hotel.

Vince looked around with a confused face on, then sighed and followed suit.

"What was that about? More dead people lurking around?" Vince asked teasingly, making Shane whirl around to glare at him face to face.

"Never… EVER… Refer to it as that again."

Vince watched as Shane spun on his heels and stormed away, heading towards the elevator, where Steve was standing with an extremely confused look on his face. Steve watched as Shane walked into the elevator and leaned against the wall. He walked over to Vince and narrowed his eyes.

"Should I bother asking what that was about?" Steve asked, making Vince sigh and glare as the elevator doors closed.

"That kid is getting to be too much for me to handle. He's acting funny out of nowhere. Sure, he's been like this all his life… But why is it kicking in NOW of all times?" Vince growled.

Steve sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Vince. I wish I did, really… Have you tried talking to him reasonably to figure out what's wrong?" Steve asked.

Vince narrowed his eyes angrily at Steve.

"What do you think I've been TRYING to do, Steve? He just won't talk to me. He's convinced I won't believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth," Vince paused to acknowledge the odd look Steve was giving him.

"Yeah, you're right… I probably won't believe the majority of it… But I just want him to talk to me, that's all." Vince replied.

Steve rubbed his head.

"I don't know what to say other than I'll try talking to him."

Steve went up to the room Shane was supposed to be booked in. Rather than going in and relaxing, Steve saw Shane sitting Indian style outside of the room.

"Everything is fine. I don't have a key card." Shane stated, mostly out of nowhere.

Steve stopped for a moment to look at him funny. He sighed and sat down next to him.

"You know why I'm up here alone, don't you?" He asked.

Shane made eye contact with Steve for the first time since they were in the car.

"You're up here to confront me on why my dad thinks I'm bat shit crazy about this whole situation with Shawn… And then you're going to go back to my dad with anything you find out because my dad isn't patient enough to speak to me face to face… Did I leave anything out?" Shane asked.

"Besides the fact that both your dad and I are worried about the way you've been acting? No, you didn't leave anything out."

"That makes no difference to me, Steve. It kind of voids the fact my dad refuses to listen to what I'm telling him." Shane replied.

"And what are you telling him, kid? You have to realize he's old, and he doesn't quite understand everything that goes on with you. I know about it, and I know you know that. You can talk to me about it, you know. I'm right here." Steve stared at Shane and waited for him to talk.

Shane sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well… Hospitals are… Pretty much torture. I hate them for reasons people like you and my dad could never understand. Lots of angry and confused people there. Not just the living, either… Let me be the first to tell you, the guy in my room wasn't very happy at all. I was taking up his space and I am what he hated most – Irish. He didn't like my dad, either. He kept making me feel negative about everything, and for some reason, the thought of the relationship between Shawn and Paul came up as a positive feeling. That's how I know there's something off. But if I tell dad this, he'll lose his shit. He's not used to me being like this anymore. He thought I grew out of it. But I didn't… And I can't keep hinting about it because my dad hates it. So if I tell him 'oh yeah, the big angry guy in my hospital room said that Paul isn't who he says he is,' he'll kill me for sure."

Steve chuckled at Shane.

"Are you going to attempt to explain this to your dad? 'Cause there's no way in hell I can say a thing about it… I don't know how to go about explaining it… And I seriously hope you're going to try and talk to Shawn about this…" Steve stated.

Shane nodded his head no.

"I can't explain this to my dad, because he won't accept it as the truth. He'll think my imagination is running wild and I should be locked away somewhere. As far as Shawn goes… He's in so deep; nothing I tell him can save him."

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying you can't help Shawn? Not even if you sit him down and talk to him?" He asked.

Shane scoffed and looked at Steve sarcastically.

"Are you kidding me? Shawn is so confused he doesn't know which way is up anymore. I don't know who I have to thank for that. I know Austin Payne did a great job messing up his head. Paul's extreme sympathy towards him couldn't have helped, either. Shawn is all buttered up… Hearing that I think there's something wrong with Paul will send him in the direction of another mental breakdown… And I won't allow that to happen." Shane replied.

Steve sighed and rubbed his head.

"Yeah, I can see what you mean… He's too fragile… It's almost sad."

Shane's head shot over to look at Steve.

"'Almost?' This is very sad, Steve…" He replied.

Steve sighed again.

"Ok, ok. Relax… How sure can you be that Paul has something to do with this?" Steve asked.

"I can be pretty damn sure about it… But we have to do a little investigating…" Shane suggested.

"Now you're talking, kid… Where do we start?" Steve asked.

"Austin Payne."

* * *

**A/N: I'm asking you guys to bear with me right now… Things are going to get kinda confusing before they get any better… The Shane situation will be better explained and brought up a lot more after this…**

**I was talking to a friend of mine who writes on this website, and I decided to get rid of the whole alternate ending thing. Instead, two of my ideas will be combined and carried out… The third will be scrapped.**

**I typed this up awhile ago, but I kept worrying about what people would think about the Shane thing… It's a really weird and difficult subject to touch on, but I think it'll help the story along a little bit now that we're heading towards the most important part of the story…The end.**

**Anywho, the title of this chapter, 'Hard Work will Set You Free' is a line in the song 'Hold Out Your Hand' by Nickelback.**


	34. At Times It Does Hurt To Be Healed

Dark Reflections

Chapter 34

At Times It Does Hurt To Be Healed

Paul sighed as he sat back and watched Shawn sleep. He was still bundled in the towels from earlier. Something was telling Paul that Shawn was going to be getting a head cold from his stubbornness, but there was nothing he could do. He was honestly thinking of giving up on his best friend. Shawn was mentally unstable, and he knew it was true after his meltdown at the hospital. He honestly couldn't believe he let it get this bad. He had to do something about it – and fast.

He heard knocking on the door, so he got up and opened the door. He saw Steve Austin and Shane standing in the hallway. Paul raised an eyebrow and walked out, silently closing the door behind him.

"What's up, guys?" He asked.

Shane and Steve exchanged a smug look.

"We have a plan, and I thought you'd love to hear it. Was I wrong," Shane asked, making Paul nod his head no.

"Good! This is how it's going to go down. Steve volunteered to go to Ohio and visit Payne in prison to try and intimidate him enough so he could spill the information Shawn told us about… That being who is in charge of this whole thing. He'll relay the message back to us, and we'll take care of getting the son of a bitch arrested. What do you think?"

Paul smirked at his brother in law.

"Flawless, Shane. What makes you think Payne's going to be intimidated by Steve?" He asked.

Steve cleared his throat and glared at Paul.

"You honestly think a pathetic bastard in prison isn't going to be afraid of me in the slightest? Sorry, but if I was behind bars with handcuffs on my hands, I'd be quite afraid of anyone who came up to me yelling at the top of their lungs about me kidnapping and fucking one of their good friends. Wouldn't you?" He asked.

Paul sighed and rubbed his head.

"I guess so… But you seem to forget that Payne isn't human. What hurts us probably wouldn't hurt him."

Shane chuckled, making Paul look at him.

"He obviously hasn't met me yet. I can freak him out more than anyone could ever imagine."

Steve turned to glare at Shane.

"You're not going to meet him, kid. You have to stay here with your family until you're well enough to travel. I'm going… And I'm going alone. You promised you wouldn't argue with me about it."

Shane glared back at Steve.

"If he refuses to spill anything, I'm going to see him. And I _will_ make him talk…" Shane stopped talking when the door to Paul's hotel room opened.

Shawn poked his head out and smiled when he saw Shane standing there looking like his old self.

"I thought I heard voices," Shawn stated and took a step forward to give Shane a hug.

"Good to see you standing, Shane-O."

Shane raised an eyebrow at Shawn's actions – he usually didn't voluntarily hug people nowadays – but decided to hug him back.

"Thanks, Shawn. It's good to be standing, actually."

Shawn pulled away from Shane and was pleased to see a smile on his face.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

Shane nodded his head.

"Of course."

Steve nudged Shane's arm and narrowed his eyes at him, making Paul and Shawn raise a confused eyebrow. Shane sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to ignore Steve, although he knew what he wanted.

"I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier, Steve..,"

Steve looked at Shawn with a confused look on his face.

"It was wrong of me to take my anger out on you. I'm sorry…" Shawn stated and stuck his hand out for Steve to shake.

Steve looked down at Shawn's hand and smirked, then looked back up at Shawn and hugged him instead.

"It's ok, kiddo. You need to start letting us in here,"

Steve pulled away and poked Shawn's head.

"We don't know what's going on unless you tell us," Steve looked at Paul.

"I need to talk to you, and Shane needs to speak to Shawn."

Paul nodded his head and walked into the hotel room with Steve.

Shawn looked at Shane and tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy dog.

"What do you need to speak to me about?" He asked.

Shane sighed and looked at the floor, rearranging the thoughts in his head. He looked back up at Shawn.

"Let's go for a walk, ok," He asked.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders and walked down the hall with Shane.

"Listen,"

Shane stopped abruptly, causing Shawn to stop as well. They turned to look at one another.

"You know… About me, right? About how weird I am? I speak to dead people, hear things that I couldn't possibly have known about and I dream things that haven't happened yet?" He asked, hoping he didn't freak Shawn out.

Shawn, however, nodded his head.

"Yeah, I remember when you freaked out before Owen died, saying something was about to happen. What's wrong?"

Shane looked around awkwardly.

"Well,"

He made eye contact again with Shawn.

"I'm just getting an off feeling about Paul. I know he's your best friend and he's helped you through a lot… But something about him is making me nervous. I don't quite know what it is… But I just want you to be careful."

Shawn sighed and nodded his head.

"I was getting a feeling you were going to warn me about Paul… It doesn't really surprise me that you suspect he's up to something."

Shane saw the sadness in Shawn's eyes and wished he didn't have to tell him anything.

_I wouldn't have said a damn word if I didn't mention anything to Steve… Now Shawn is going to be an emotional wreck. Again. And it's my fault._

"Shawn… Listen… I didn't mean to upset you or anything. I'm just trying to look out for you. I don't know what the uneasiness I feel about Paul is… I just think you should watch your back, that's all. If I figure out what's up, you'll be the first person I go to about it, ok? I promise. Nobody is going to put a hand on you again. I'll make sure of it."

Shawn looked at Shane with tears glistening in his eyes.

"How can you make promises nobody has been able to keep? What makes you so damn special?"

The smirk on Shane's face made Shawn feel bad for doubting him.

"I talk to dead people. And they love gossip."

* * *

Steve watched as Paul shut the door and glared at him.

"What's your problem?" Paul asked.

Steve shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe it's the fact that you know more than you're letting on. I know you know something about this whole damn situation that you're not telling anybody… And so help me God; I will kill you if something else happens to Shawn." Steve growled.

Paul raised an eyebrow.

"I know as much as you, alright? There's nothing I haven't told you. The only one that could know more about this is Shane. Freaky fucking kid…"

"You're right. Shane does know something, and the only one he told is me. Why do you think he's talking to Shawn right now and I'm here talking to you? Shawn needs help, Paul. More help than you can give him. I wish I didn't have to say it, but it's true. I'm leaving in three hours to go to Ohio. If I find out that Shawn still didn't see a shrink, I will personally come all the way back up here to beat you senseless. Do you understand?" Steve asked.

Paul nodded his head yes.

"Yeah, I get it,"

Steve nodded his head and turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing," Paul called to him, making him stop and turn to face him again.

"What is it that Shane knows that he isn't discussing with Shawn in front of me?" Paul asked.

Steve turned around and walked towards the door. He got to it and paused.

"We'll see." He threw over his shoulder and then left the room.

Paul raised an eyebrow.

"And what the hell does he mean by that?"

He looked up and saw Vince standing in front of him, causing him to scramble backwards and trip over the bed.

"Jesus Christ, dad! Don't do that again!"

Vince watched as Paul caught his breath.

"Sorry, Paul. I'm just trying to figure out what Steve could've meant by that."

"How do you think I feel? What's up, dad?" Paul asked.

Vince shrugged his shoulders.

"Just looking for my son. You know how he gets when he's pissy… Have you seen him around?" Vince asked.

Paul nodded his head yes.

"Yeah… He went to go talk to Shawn. They might be walking around the hall. What's so important?" He asked.

"Well… He got discharged from the hospital a little less than an hour ago. He should be lying down, not walking around and stressing himself out. I honestly don't know what could be so important that he _had_ to talk to Shawn about…"

Shawn and Shane walked into the hotel room to see Vince and Paul standing awkwardly near a bed, almost as if they were contemplating something.

"Hey Vinnie Mac!" Shawn shouted, making the two men turn to look at them.

"Hey there, Shawn. Shane! It looks like you got hit by a truck! Are you alright?" Vince asked.

Shawn turned to look at Shane for the first time since they spoke in the hallway and frowned. Vince was right – Shane didn't look ok. His eyes were glassy and sweat was glistening on his forehead.

"I'm fine, just not in the way you're hoping." Shane replied and looked around the room.

_Something isn't quite right…_

"Shane… I really think you should sit down before you fall down." Vince stated as he walked over to his son and grabbed him roughly by the arm.

"Hey,"

Vince turned to look at Shawn.

"Don't fucking treat him like that, Vin Man. I know he's your son and God knows he's being stubborn, but you have no right to treat him like a rag doll."

Vince sighed and released Shane's arm.

"You're right, Shawn. You know Shane, though. He won't sit down unless he collapses," Vince turned to look at his son.

"And right now I'm telling you to sit down."

Shane nodded his head no.

"Not in here. Just… Just take me back to your room and I promise I'll sit down there."

Vince sighed and rubbed his head angrily.

"Fine, fine. See you boys tomorrow."

Vince grabbed Shane's arm again and led him out of the room and down the hall.

Paul looked over at Shawn once the door closed.

"So… What did Shane talk to you about?" He asked.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"I wish I knew. He's just so damn confusing with all of his paranormal mumbo jumbo. I couldn't even begin to explain it to you… Anyway… I'm gonna go shower. My clothes smell of mildew."

Paul nodded his head with a smile on his face.

"Alright. Don't fall in."

* * *

It was almost an hour later when Paul finally looked up from the TV to see the time. He frowned when he realized the water was still running.

_What the hell is he doing in there? Fixing the pipes? _

He stood up and sighed, thinking about what could have possibly happened to make Shawn stay in the shower for all that time. Was he dead? Or just deep in thought? The possibilities were endless, and Paul was slightly irritated that he was acting as a mother hen. He approached the bathroom door and knocked.

"Shawn? Shawn, can you hear me," He asked.

He jiggled the handle and noticed it was locked.

"Shawn, open the fucking door!" He shouted, finally losing his patience.

Paul was relieved to hear a click as the door was unlocked. He opened the door and looked down to see Shawn sitting with his knees to his chest in the bath tub while hot water rained down on him from the shower head. Paul tilted his head, somewhat confused by what he was looking at.

"What?" Shawn asked, keeping his eyes off of Paul.

Paul rubbed the back of his head and knelt down to be somewhat eye level with Shawn.

"Shawn, look at me," He started.

Paul narrowed his eyes angrily as he listened to Shawn mumble incoherently. He reached out with his right hand and grabbed Shawn by the chin, then turned his head so the two were face to face.

"Are you alright?" Paul asked.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders.

"Guess so."

"What's the matter, then? Because I know that when you respond the way you just did, there's something going on in here,"

Paul tapped Shawn's head and smiled. Shawn sighed and once again shrugged his shoulders. Paul raised a confused eyebrow.

_He's acting strange_.

"Listen, you've been in here for almost an hour… Why don't you get out and get dressed before you become a prune? We can go out to eat or something… Cause this whole brooding thing isn't really you…"

Paul watched as Shawn closed his eyes and lifted his head up so the water from the shower head rained down onto his face.

_But then again… How do I know who Shawn is anymore?_

Paul looked around awkwardly and waited for Shawn to look at him again.

"I was just thinking,"

Paul looked back at Shawn and saw the older man was looking him in the eyes.

"About what happened back in Fremont... I remembered Jamie yelling. He was always yelling," Shawn chuckled, but there was no humor in it.

Paul winced at the withdrawn look in Shawn's eyes.

"He told me I was worthless and said it was why nobody was coming to rescue me. He also told me somebody close to me was going to turn on me just for fun. You'd never do that to me… Right?"

Paul looked at the sadness that seeped into Shawn's eyes. The man in front of him suddenly seemed to age, almost as if that one little question added ten years to him. Paul placed a hand on either side of Shawn's face and looked him directly in the eyes; trying to talk to the man he knew instead of the shell he was living in.

"Shawn… You know I would never do a damn thing to hurt you. I love you too much to see you suffering. The way you are right now… It's hurting me, too. You've gotta let everything out, Shawn. I miss seeing your smile. I miss your sense of humor," Paul noticed a small smile creep onto Shawn's face, then tapped his cheeks lightly.

"Come on, Shawny… Get out of the shower…"

Shawn turned to face the wall of the shower again, making Paul's arms drop down to his sides. Now that Shawn was facing away from him, Paul was able to see the many scars that his best friend had. Thinking about the pain his friend suffered at the hand of a psychopath made him nauseous. He would never admit it to anyone – not even to his wife – but sometimes, he would wake in the middle of the night from a nightmare about what happened to Shawn… And have to run to the bathroom seconds later. He would never be able to get the tortured look in Shawn's eyes out of his head, the way he laid in the hospital bed the day after they found him and stared at everyone with ice cold, unseeing, unrecognizing eyes. The pale, thin, broken and bleeding form of his friend trembling from the closeness of their bodies as Paul carried him down the stairs of the house in Freemont. The empty sound of Shawn's laugh and the deadness in his smile, the twinkle that was absent from his eyes and the roughness of his voice… Even the emotion in Shawn's hugs were gone, the way he said 'I love you' was completely different. It was almost as if the person Paul was thinking about wasn't even his best friend anymore, but just a shell that remained after he had his pride ripped away from him and tossed aside like a used piece of gum. Shawn didn't care anymore; he learned that he was useless from two months of getting raped and having his ass kicked. Paul cared. He loved Shawn almost more than he loved his wife; a feeling he couldn't quite understand.

Paul was starting to feel the familiar flop in his stomach, but was able to battle back the feeling by placing a hand on Shawn's shoulder, somewhat startling the other man. Shawn's head spun around to look Paul in the eyes, searching frantically in the familiar brown orbs for a reason why he was touching him without his permission. Paul knew better. Instead of obeying the silent plea Shawn was giving him to simply stop, Paul traced a scar along Shawn's left shoulder blade with his fingers, making Shawn narrow his eyes angrily.

"Please stop touching me." Shawn growled.

Paul looked him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's not every day I get to see what the fuck happened to you. You're always hiding it, you never talk about it and you certainly do like to pretend it never happened. If you spoke up once in awhile, I wouldn't have to be so dumbfounded when I finally catch wind of what's going on with you. Now, please. Get. Out. Of. The. Shower." Paul demanded.

He hated using such a demanding tone with Shawn, but he had no choice with the way he was acting.

"Get your hand off me and I'll get out."

Shawn watched as Paul's hand slowly melted away from his shoulder. Paul stood up and grabbed a towel, then tossed it at Shawn's head and watched as it landed in an awkward position over the side of the tub.

He suddenly felt as if the towel was Shawn, clinging to something stable and struggling to continue with life. Shawn cupped his hands directly under the stream of water coming from the shower head. He watched as his cupped hands filled with water and overflowed. Paul sighed and stood up, running his hands through his hair as he did so, watching Shawn's childish actions.

"Please, Shawn… Please get out." Paul begged once more.

He felt those unfamiliar blue/green eyes glaring at him, so he sighed and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

The next series of events happened so quickly, neither man knew what happened or understood it, but it left Shawn gasping for air and Paul rushed back to his side to help him in any way possible.

Paul had no sooner turned his back to Shawn when the older man threw the water cupped in his hands into his mouth. He had his head turned upwards and was looking at the ceiling when he decided to slowly let the water leak from his mouth. The door clicked shut. Shawn's eyes suddenly went wide and his vision faded to black. He saw it in his mind as clear as day – it was Shane. He was kneeling on the floor in a hotel room, looking up at somebody with some sort of pained defiant look in his eyes. There was blood dripping from Shane's mouth and leaking from his chest. He saw a dark figure step in front of Shane's vision, and that's when his mind went black.

Shawn unconsciously punched the wall of the shower and shouted incoherently. He leaned his head against the wall and breathed heavily, still engulfed in a world of darkness. Paul came running through the door of the bathroom and immediately knelt down at the side of the tub.

"Shawn! Shawn, are you alright? Can you hear me," He asked, tapping Shawn's cheeks gently to try and get his attention.

He saw Shawn's eyes were somewhat glassy. Paul reached over and turned off the water, then picked up the towel and rubbed at Shawn's head. Shawn's breath hitched, drawing him back into reality. He began gasping for air as his eyes swept over the area. They landed wearily on Paul.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked.

Shawn nodded his head, still unsure of what he saw.

"I'm really confused about all of this, Paul… I don't know if there's something I'm supposed to be doing to help."

Paul sighed and patted Shawn on the back.

"You could try talking things out, ya know…"

He turned around and bent over to pick up his cell phone, since he so happened to have dropped it when he ran back in to check on Shawn. When he turned back around, he saw Shawn had stood up, gotten out of the tub and put boxers on. Shawn was staring at him with a slightly angered and partially confused look on his face, yet Paul got the feeling Shawn was contemplating it.

"It hurts to talk about it, Paul." Shawn replied, making Paul sigh.

He took a step forward and placed a shaky hand on Shawn's shoulder.

"You know what they say, Shawn. 'At times it does hurt to be healed.'"

* * *

**A/N: Woo-hoo! Another chapter completed! Hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I've been planning it out for quite some time, but I could never decide on how to go about having everything happen. I know it's weird, but such as life.**

**I told you the strange turn of events in 'The Devil's Language Taste of Lust' (Chapter 31) was going to make more sense as time went on… And by that, in case you're too lazy to check, I'm referring to the bond between Shane and Shawn that was brought forth when Shane's wrists started bleeding to match what was happening to Shawn.**

**The name of the chapter, as well as what Paul told Shawn (At Times It Does Hurt To Be Healed) is a line in the song 'Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling' by Louis Hobson, Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Jennifer Damiano & Aaron Tveit from the Broadway musical, Next to Normal. It's such an amazing show!**


	35. No Surprise

Dark Reflections

Chapter 35

No Surprise

Steve sighed and looked up at the Lorain Correctional Institution, located in Grafton, Ohio. It wasn't that far away from Fremont (in fact, it was only two counties away from Sandusky, which was where Fremont was located), but it was still a pain in his ass. He hated traveling to places he wasn't sure of, especially if he was alone. The Lorain Correctional Institution was no different. What pissed him off more about traveling to Grafton was the fact he was going to visit a man who he, personally, wanted dead. However, he would have rather gone over Vince or Shane. He knew he had more stamina to deal with Austin Payne and his cocky attitude. He didn't have the ridiculous Irish/McMahon pride that the McMahon men were known for.

He walked into the prison and up the man at the reception desk. He looked about 32, with thick black hair that was slicked back.

_Like a guy in a really bad Mafia movie_. Steve assured himself.

The cop's eyes were a strange blue, almost as if they were Photoshopped.

"Hey." Steve shouted, making the cop look up at him.

Steve saw his nametag for the first time since walking in: Secondo.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

Steve stared at him like he had suddenly sprouted two more heads.

_Would I have spoken to you if I didn't need some kind of help?_

"Uh… Yeah. I'm here to see Austin Payne. It's kind of an emergency. I have to ask him something extremely important…"

Secondo, who Steve recognized as a Corporal, sighed and shook his head.

"Are you family?" He asked.

Steve narrowed his eyebrows angrily.

"Listen, kid. I just told you I have to talk to him because it's an emergency… It's about what he was arrested for." Steve replied.

Corporal Secondo raised an eyebrow.

"The kidnapping case? What about it? I heard it was resolved… That's why he's here, ya know. Is there something about the case you need help with?" He asked.

Steve balled his hands into fists in order to keep calm.

"Listen here… During the trial, Payne stated that he had an accomplice. The accomplice is now dead. But the victim, Shawn Hickenbottom, said he remembered Payne saying there was somebody else involved, meaning the son of a bitch lied in court. I need to know who it was before something happens to Shawn."

"Why didn't you alert the cops? I mean, I'm sure they have more authority to do what you want to do." Secondo stated, pulling out his visitor's log.

Steve sighed.

"We don't have time to alert the cops, kid. Shawn could be hanging out with the very guy who set everything up and not even know it. I mean, the cops take about 72 hours to fully investigate anything, especially if the guy was already convicted for the crime. I've been on the road to try and talk to Payne for a few hours now. I can accomplish more than they can." Steve stated.

Secondo looked up at him and sighed.

"I'm gonna get busted down to pencil sharpener for this… Sign here and go down that hall… A guard will lead you to Payne…"

Steve closed his eyes and sighed in relief, silently thanking God that this cop wasn't going to throw him out. He knew he shouldn't have told Secondo the details of why he wanted to visit Austin Payne, but he honestly couldn't help himself. He _needed_ to get in there to speak to him and he didn't care what he did to be able to do so. He signed his name on the visitors log and shook Secondo's hand, making a point to look the man in the eyes and give a slight nod, which was his way of thanking a person and showing them respect in the same motion. He walked down the hall where he met up with a beefy Sergeant by the name of Stevenson and… Oh, how ironic. The man was eating a donut.

Steve bit his tongue to try and avoid laughing. Stevenson looked at some papers, probably trying to find out where Austin Payne was located at the moment, and alerted other cops on his walkie talkie to bring him to the visitor's room.

"Damn shame you're related to that asshole. I heard he kidnapped a professional wrestler and sent him for a real ride," Stevenson turned to look at Steve and winked, then looked forward again and continued reading the papers.

Steve once again bit his tongue… He didn't like this guy.

"If I were you and your family, I would completely ignore the fact he was of relation to you." Stevenson threw over his shoulder at Steve, allowing the perfect opportunity for Steve to flip him off behind his back.

"Yeah. We're planning on doing that. I just need to ask him something. Then we're out." Steve stated, doing his best to mock an Eastern accent…

And obviously succeeding.

"You from Ohio, sir? Or just visiting?" Stevenson asked.

Steve rolled his eyes, wanting to reply 'Victoria, Texas' but held back. He made a mental note to yell at several people that were located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada when he had the chance.

"Nah. I'm Austin's cousin from… Connecticut… Greenwich, actually. We spent summers together as kids. Other than that, we didn't see each other much. I'm here to tell him that my family and I have lost all respect for him." Steve replied, still mocking the Eastern accent.

He was proud of himself… And was surprised at how much he was able to make himself sound like Shane. The voice coming out of his mouth was way too familiar to his ears.

"Ah, that's a nice area. I've visited there several times, myself. Was your cousin always a prissy ass bandit? Or is it new to him?" Stevenson asked as they turned another corner.

The walk to be able to talk to Austin Payne was long… And almost not worth the trip. Steve racked his brain to try and figure out what the slang Stevenson was using could possibly mean… And then it came to him: homosexual.

"I don't know if he's always been gay. That's his choice. I'm a personal person, so I don't always pry into other people's lives. The only people I hover over all the time are my wife and kids." Steve smirked as Stevenson burst into laughter.

They finally arrived at their destination. Stevenson stopped and turned to face Steve.

"You're a funny guy… What'd you say your name was?" Stevenson asked as he put a hand out.

"Steve," Steve replied and shook Stevenson's hand.

"Right, nice to meet you. My name is Tom. Ok, go on in here and speak to that Nancy boy cousin of yours. When you've had enough, just walk out and I'll take you back down to the Corporal,"

Stevenson watched as Steve turned to the door and reached out for the handle.

"Oh, Steve,"

The man in question looked back at the Sergeant.

"Watch him, he's quite sassy."

Steve nodded his thanks.

_If I hear one more gay joke, I'm going to punch that police officer in that fat mouth of his…_

"Oh, I know." He replied and walked into the room.

Steve closed the door behind him and turned to see Austin Payne sitting down at a table staring at him.

"Hey there, Steve." He stated with a sly voice.

Steve narrowed his eyebrows angrily.

"I'm not here to chit chat with you, Payne." Steve stated as he sat down opposite of Austin.

"Then what are you here for? Shouldn't you be playing nurse to your little friend?" Austin teased, making Steve growl under his breath.

"You know damn well why I'm here… Unless, of course, you haven't been reading the papers."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Austin replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine, then. I'll tell you. Your little accomplice was shot dead the other night in Montreal, Payne. We know who he was pretending to be. And my "little friend" says that there is somebody else involved in this mess. So you'd better speak up before I beat the truth out of you." Steve stated.

Austin sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What makes you think Shawn is right about any of that? He's been lying to you guys all along."

Steve leaned forward and glared at Austin menacingly.

"You're the one who makes him do that. He's only lying to avoid memories of what you did to him. I would tell me the truth if I were you. Who the hell is involved in this mess?" Steve asked one more time.

Austin sat up straight and smirked.

"Once again… I don't know what you're talking about."

Steve reached across the table and smacked Austin across the face, then jumped on the table and started punching Austin. Steve stopped after several moments of Austin sobbing, attempting to block Steve's hits and begging him to stop.

"Are you going to fucking talk now, Payne? I have no patience to be dealing with you!" Steve shouted, grabbing a hold of Austin's shirt and raising a threatening fist to his face.

Austin flinched and raised his hands in defeat.

"Alright, alright! I give! I'll tell you who did it!"

"Spill it!" Steve replied, maintaining his posture. Austin sighed.

"Well… He wasn't directly involved in what happened. You know, he didn't come down to my house and participate in… The activities that were going on there… But he supplied money to get it done and made it so that the security staff wasn't near the locker room. He was also able to keep the Fremont police off my back for a little while…"

Steve slowly released the grip he had on Austin's shirt and sat back down on his chair.

"I didn't hear a name." He stated, glaring evilly at Austin, who wiped some blood from his lip.

"That's because I didn't give it yet."

Steve once again narrowed his eyebrows angrily.

"What the hell is keeping you from giving it to me? Do I need to convince you?" Steve asked as he raised a fist.

Austin rolled his eyes at Steve's fist.

"Is violence always the answer with you, Steve? I never thought you were so angry all the time… Or is it that you hate me for what I did to your little friend?"

"You sicken me, Payne… You're either going to give me what I want within the next 15 seconds or I'm going to jump over this table and beat you within an inch of your life. What do you say?"

When Austin didn't respond, Steve jumped onto the table and grabbed Austin's shirt again, then raised his fist in the air. He was about to bring it down as hard as he could onto Austin's face…

"Wait, wait! It was Bret Hart! Hart paid me off!"

Steve released his grip and looked down at Austin in shock. There were too many thoughts racing through his head at the moment.

_Shane was wrong. _

_But Bret Hart gave us this guy's identity. This son of a bitch better be telling me the truth. I'd better call Vince before something else happens._

"You'd better be telling me the truth, you son of a bitch. I'll be back if you're not."

* * *

**A/N: How'd you like that twist? I can actually tell you that there are a hell of a lot more surprises coming up in future chapters… So this definitely isn't the end.**

**The name of the chapter is 'No Surprise,' which is a song by Chris Daughtry.**

**Shawn retired. I'm a sad panda. But I'm really proud of him.**


	36. Flying Head First Into Fate

Dark Reflections

Chapter 36

Flying Head First Into Fate

Shawn groaned and rolled over, putting a hand to his head to try and push the migraine away. He really hated headaches, but migraines were far worse. He opened his eyes and groaned once more at the amount of light pouring into the hotel room. He could kill Paul for leaving the blinds open. Shawn was happy there were no sounds coming from the room… And he couldn't care less that he could be alone. Paul was a big boy; he could take care of himself.

"You certainly can sleep."

Shawn's eyes shot open, despite the pain his head was in, and darted around the room. His eyes landed on Bret Hart, who was sitting on the other bed, staring at Shawn with a friendly smile on his face.

"Where's Paul?" Shawn almost wanted to ask Bret to smack him, for he lacked the strength to do it himself, because of how weak his tone was.

"He's with Vince and Shane. I called him about an hour ago and asked if I could come see you. He thought it was a good idea so he could go out with his in-laws. I volunteered to hang around and wait for you to wake up… Whoa. You don't look okay. What's the matter?" Bret asked as he pushed himself off the bed and took a tentative step closer to Shawn, who raised a confused eyebrow at Bret's actions.

"I have a migraine."

Bret sighed.

"Poor kid. Did you ever take Excedrin? Trust me, it works great,"

Bret turned back to the spare bed and opened the small compartment of a red Jansport backpack. He fished around inside and eventually pulled out a bottle of Excedrin Migraine. He walked back over to Shawn and handed him a water bottle.

"One or two?" Bret asked.

Shawn groaned and put a hand to his head. Why was Bret asking him to think?

"Two." Shawn replied and held out his hand.

Bret popped the bottle open and handed Shawn the desired amount of pills.

"I feel like such a drug dealer. Be careful, the water bottle is full."

Bret watched as Shawn took the pills without incident and returned the water bottle to the night table. Bret put the bottle back in his backpack and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"What are you doing here?" Shawn asked.

Bret rubbed his head somewhat uncomfortably and sighed.

"I'm here to talk to you. Better yet, I'm here to check up on you. I heard what happened the other night after Raw and I'm really sorry. I can't believe that cop was in on everything… And Shane-O looks like he was hit by a truck. What the hell is he doing out of the hospital so early?"

"He's stubborn, just like his old man." Shawn replied and with a lazy smirk.

Bret smiled.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think it's funny because everyone tells Shane he's almost nothing like his old man. However, if you look close, you can sure as hell see the similarities,"

Bret saw the discomfort the light was causing Shawn and walked over to the blinds.

"I would assume this isn't doing you any good whatsoever," He stated as he closed the blinds, then walked over to the bathroom and put the light on.

He walked back over to the spare bed and sat on it.

"Do you want me to get a cold rag for your head or something?"

"No thanks, Bret… The light was the most annoying thing… How's Blade?" Shawn asked.

Bret smiled, something he knew Shawn couldn't see in the extremely darkened hotel room.

"Blade is good, thanks for asking. You know how teenagers are… He's always complaining of boredom when he has at least fifty things he could be doing… He's taken an interest in writing recently… When he's not playing the guitar, playing video games or playing hockey, that is,"

Bret observed how Shawn's eyelids were drooping and sighed.

"Do you want me to shut up so you can get some sleep?" He asked.

Shawn let his head drop to the side.

"Don….Care…"

Bret chuckled and nodded his head in amusement. He watched as Shawn's breathing evened out and knew he had fallen asleep. He looked around the room and was glad to see nothing was broken. He overheard Paul telling (more like yelling) at Vince about how stubborn Shawn was sometimes and how bad his temper was. Bret remembered hearing stories of how an extremely pissed off Shawn used to go around putting his fists through walls and breaking vases. Thankfully, this hotel stay would not cost Vince an extra thousand or so dollars for damages.

* * *

Paul was sitting down, nervously tapping his knife onto the table at some weird diner Vince decided to go to for lunch. The old man was rambling, yet again, about how much he hated Donald Trump and how fake the "weave" was. Shane was rolling his eyes every so often, wincing away the obvious pain he was in and making hilarious gestures behind Vince's back. Paul jumped up, smashing his leg into the table and stopping Vince mid-sentence, when he felt his cell phone vibrate. He looked down at the caller ID and smiled… He would be free of Vince's bitching! For now, anyway.

He walked away and answered the phone.

"Hello? Steve! God is it good to hear from you. How are you?" He asked.

"By the tone in your voice, I'm going to guess that you were forced to listen to Vince ramble about how much Donald Trump sucks. Anyway, I have some news to report to you. Wait… Where's Shawn?" Steve asked.

Paul sighed.

"He's back at the hotel room. I didn't want to wake him up because he's been very testy since Monday. Bret Hart is with him." Paul replied.

He immediately heard the alarming tone in Steve's voice.

"WHAT THE FUCK? Paul! Paul, listen to me! You HAVE to get back to the hotel and get Bret away from Shawn!"

Paul pulled the phone away from his ear. He was certain the whole diner could hear Steve on the other end. Once the man stopped shouting, he put the phone back to his ear.

"Steve… Steve, calm down. What's the matter? Why should I go back to the hotel and take Bret away from Shawn?" He asked.

Steve sighed.

"I just got out of the jail Austin Payne is locked up in. He told me that Bret Hart was behind everything."

Paul felt the color drain from his face. The sarcastic tone he once had faded away in a matter of seconds.

"What did you just say?" He asked in a dark tone.

"I said… Bret Hart was behind everything… Ya know… Shawn's kidnapping? So go back to the fucking hotel and get him away from Shawn!" Steve shouted and hung up.

Paul pocketed his cell phone and returned to the table, only to see Vince yapping away and Shane banging his head on the table.

"Guys… We have to go back to the hotel…" Paul stated, making Shane raise his head from the table to look at him.

Vince even stopped talking.

"Why?" Vince asked, the look on his face changing to mirror Paul's seriousness.

Shane, however, wasn't convinced at all.

"I left Bret Hart with Shawn. I just got a call from Steve telling me that he spoke to Austin Payne… And Payne named Bret Hart as his accomplice,"

Paul watched as Vince's eyes widened and his face reddened with anger. Shane, however, narrowed his eyes.

"We have to go back there to get Bret."

Paul turned around to leave. Shane stood up and glared at the back of Paul's head.

"No!" He shouted, making Paul turn to look at the slightly younger man.

"What's your problem, Shane," Paul asked.

He took a few steps so the two were face to face.

"Can't stand the thought of being wrong for once? You and your little ghosty friends were wrong about this one, kid. Accept it and get over it." Paul growled.

Shane looked to the side of Paul and closed his eyes, then sighed and looked back at Paul.

"I _know_ I'm not wrong, Paul. You're not going back to the hotel. You're staying here. Bret is of no threat to Shawn."

Paul put his hands on his hips and shifted his weight onto his right leg.

"How do I know you don't have something to do with this, Shane? I mean… You're dead set on keeping the man who traumatized Shawn out of prison… How do I know that you and Bret aren't in on it?" Paul asked.

Shane smirked and glared at his brother in law.

"Think with your brain, you fucking ignorant blonde. Do you think Vasquez would've shot me if I was in on it? Do you think I would've fucking jumped to save you and Shawn if I was in on it? No. I would've fucking sat back and watched. But I didn't. I wanted to save the two of you. So I jumped into action. I KNOW Bret had nothing to do with this mess. Austin Payne is lying to all of us."

"You're just afraid to admit that you're wrong, Shane. That stubborn McMahon pride has seeped too far… I sure hope your sons don't turn out the same way." Paul stated.

Shane exhaled deeply.

"Look… We've let this go too far… Let's just settle down and finish lunch. We can go back to the hotel when we're done." Shane stated.

Paul nodded and gestured for Shane to turn around. Vince was about to open his mouth to warn his son about the evil gleam in Paul's eyes… But it was a bit too late. Paul grabbed Shane by the back of his head and slammed him face first onto the edge of the table. Everyone in the diner turned to look at Paul, who was huffing and puffing like a caged monster.

"What the hell?" Vince shouted and scrambled to get to Shane's side.

"I'm going to the hotel… And you aren't going to fucking stop me." Paul seethed, then spun on his heels and stomped out of the diner.

Vince watched Paul leave and rolled his eyes, then looked down at his son and frowned. There were several spots of blood seeping through Shane's shirt where he had been shot. His lips were split down the middle and he had a small cut on the bridge of his nose from where he connected with (and shattered) a bread dish on the table. Shane was glaring up at his father by the time Vince had processed the injuries in his head.

"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch." Shane growled.

Vince chuckled and helped Shane stand up.

"What was that all about, anyway?"

Shane sighed and furiously wiped blood from his lips.

"Paul believes that Bret is behind everything… Austin Payne gave Bret's name to Steve… And I freaking know it wasn't Bret, dad. But… As usual… Paul believes whatever he's told. And it's really fucking pissing me off." Shane stated through gritted teeth as he rubbed at his hair.

The corner of Vince's mouth quirked up in a semi-smirk as he tried to figure out what Shane was saying.

"How do you know it wasn't Bret? I mean… Austin Payne told Steve it was… How do you know he's lying?"

By the time Vince was done talking, Shane had stopped rubbing at his hair (which now made him look like he got his finger caught in an outlet) and had resumed wiping blood from his lips.

"David told me…" Shane mumbled; shocked that Vince was able to hear him at all.

"Who the hell is David," Vince asked.

Shane looked over at his father and frowned.

"Oh. A dead guy. Shane, this thing is going too far…" Vince's voice trailed off when he saw the look of anger on Shane's face.

"He's not just any dead guy, dad. He happens to be Paul's guardian. And he's fucking pissed at what Paul is doing,"

Vince continued staring at his son; not really believing his words. He thought Shane had made hundreds of imaginary friends to avoid being lonely as a child… However, when he continued to mention names, places and things he possibly couldn't have known well into his adult life, Vince thought he was psychologically disturbed. He never thought his son was serious about these things. He couldn't be… Could he?

He watched as the expression on Shane's face hardened. His eyes glazed over for a moment and almost looked blue to him. Shane turned to look at Vince and jumped back in mock-horror, making Vince raise an eyebrow.

"Come on, old man. Let's get the 'ell outta here and find that son of a bitch."

Shane jumped up and walked away, making Vince quickly stand up and leave money on the table. He ran off to find Shane, who was currently standing in front of the door, tapping his foot uncharacteristically. Shane spun around and walked through the door as gracefully as a dancer would. Vince stopped and stared at the retreating figure of his son… That was when it dawned on him…

_Did he just speak to me in an English accent?_

_

* * *

_

Paul made it back to the hotel in less than 5 minutes, which had to be a record for him. He stormed up the stairs, completely forgetting that the hotel had a working elevator, and slammed himself into the door of his hotel room. It took him several moments to realize that he had a key card and he had to _use_ it in order to get into the room. Paul unlocked the door and walked in; narrowing his eyes angrily to see the room was completely dark. He put the main light on and saw Shawn sleeping on his bed. Bret was sitting on the other bed, texting on his cell phone. He looked up at Paul.

"Hey there, Paul. Shawn had a migraine, so I closed the blinds and shut the lights out. You might want to buy some Excedrin Migraine for him… It seemed to have worked," He stated.

Paul stormed up to him, pulled him off the bed and rammed him up against the wall.

"Ow! Paul? What the fuck are you doing?" Bret shouted, trying to get away from Paul.

"I KNOW about what you did to Shawn… Your involvement in this whole little scheme to kill him. You won't get away with what you did, Bret. I'm gonna call the cops and your ass is going to get arrested."

Bret raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked.

Paul rolled his eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me, Bret. Steve just called and told us all about how Austin Payne gave up your name as an accomplice. Are you going to tell me he's lying?" Paul asked.

"Steve isn't lying. He's only relaying the lie that Austin Payne told him. Honestly, Paul. If I was in on it, would I have been so quick to give up Payne's name?"

Paul didn't think about it like that. And it made him wonder if Austin Payne was telling the truth or not.

* * *

**A/N: You know my whole usual 'w00t w00t, another chapter completed' thing? Well, I'm not going to do it this time. I'm going to say that I'm happy this semester of school is finished and I have nearly 4 full months to work on all of my lovely FanFictions.**

**I received a review of chapter 35 in which the reviewer, the ever so loyal alliegirl4life, said that she had a hard time understanding who was talking in the chapter. Did anyone else have that problem? I'd be glad to fix it if I knew which areas were troubling.**

**In the next few days, or maybe even a week, the Sherlock Holmes FanFiction I'm working on with my friend Kat will be posted onto the website. Be sure to check it out if you're a fan.**

**Shane is a rather interesting human being, isn't he?**

**The title of the chapter, 'Flying Head First Into Fate' is a line in the song 'Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling,' by Louis Hobson, Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Jennifer Damiano & Aaron Tveit****from the Next to Normal Soundtrack.**


	37. Going Through The Motions

Dark Reflections

Chapter 37

Going Through The Motions

By the time Vince was able to catch up to Shane, the younger McMahon was already ramming into the door in attempts to break it down… Either that or tear a hole in his chest.

"Shane! What are you doing? Calm the fuck down!" Vince shouted and watched as Shane once again rammed into the door and pounded it with his fist.

He put his hand on Shane's shoulder, making him pull away and turn to look at him.

"Dun' touch me, ol' man. Some bad shit is goin' on in there and all you can do is prevent me from bangin' the damn door down?" Shane shouted, the English accent still heavy.

Vince ran a hand down his face and sighed.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked.

Shane narrowed his eyes.

"What the 'ell do you think is goin on here, ol' man? My fuckin' person is in there manhandling another man 'cause he is so hell bent on hidin' the truth from everyone." He shouted and turned back to the door.

"What are you talking about, Shane? Who's manhandling somebody in there?" Vince asked.

Shane chuckled semi-maniacally and turned to look back at Vince.

"You like playin' dumb, don't ya? No wonder people get irritated with you."

Shane looked back at the door and once again rammed the whole right side of his body into it, quite relieved when the door seemed to give way against the locks. It groaned as it fell to the side.

"Shit… Just _more_ money in damages I have to pay."

Vince stepped back and watched as Shane charged into the room, then carefully stepped over the door and leaned against the wall. He watched Shane run over to Paul and grab the dumbfounded man, pull him to the side and shove him against the wall. Bret stumbled out of the way and fell onto the spare bed. He looked at Shane with wide eyes.

"You're being a fuckin' idiot, Paul. Use your damn head!" Shane shouted and pushed Paul onto the floor.

Paul landed on his face with a loud 'oof' and turned to look up at him.

"What are you talking about, Shane?"

Shane stared at Paul for a few moments. He suddenly blinked and looked around with an extremely confused look on his face.

"Are you okay, Shane-O?" Bret asked, making Shane look over at him.

"Uh… Yeah… Sure. Of course I am..,"

He glanced over at Shawn and raised a concerned eyebrow.

"What's the matter with Shawn?" He asked.

Almost as if on cue, Shawn sat up and turned to look at them.

"Absolutely nothing is wrong with Shawn… What the hell is all the noise about?" He growled.

"You can ask Shane. Everything was going along just fine before he barged in here like Arnold fucking Schwarzenegger and attacked me."

"Actually, no. Everything was going along just fine until _you_ busted in here like Arnold fucking Schwarzenegger and attacked Bret. Now what's going on?" Shawn asked.

Shane rolled his eyes.

"It's ridiculous that everyone keeps fighting. Bret _didn't_ organize this whole thing like you seem to believe. Why the hell would he be so quick to give up Payne's name?" Shane asked, making Paul's eyes widen.

"Bret said that just before you decided to take the door down… And I realized my mistake when I started putting two and two together… The only thing that doesn't make sense is _why_ Bret was so quick in giving up Payne's name. I mean… I understand he had nothing to do on it… But… He knew it almost out of nowhere."

"Yeah, because I fucking _knew_ who it was. I bet that if you knew who organized the kidnapping and whatnot, you wouldn't _hesitate_ to give it up! And it's very obvious you've been lied to about who did it because I didn't run when I was accused. Innocent people don't run… So, here I am. I would know if I did it, wouldn't I?" Bret seethed.

"He has a point,"

Shawn, Shane and Paul turned to look at Vince.

"I don't think Bret did it… He couldn't have… I mean… As Bret said, he didn't run… And I would imagine Austin Payne was told to lie about who organized everything if he was ever asked. This could be another trick." Vince stated.

"What'd you expect from an asshole like Payne? He always seems to have a trick up his sleeve." Shane stated as he sat down next to Shawn.

"Funny how you know and you weren't even there,"

Shawn looked over at Shane and saw a very obvious wet spot on his shirt.

"Shane… I need to talk to you."

Shane looked at Shawn and nodded his head, then stood up and walked out onto the balcony with him.

Bret, Paul and Vince looked at one another.

"Right… When they're done talking, send Shane back to my room. We'll talk to you guys later." Vince stated and left, not really knowing what else he could do.

Bret turned to look at Paul.

"Listen… I'm really sorry about everything that happened. Believe me, I feel the same way you do about finding the person who was in charge of kidnapping Shawn. Sure, it might be a bit odd that I came into the picture almost immediately after it happened, but it was only because I was concerned and wanted to see what I could do to help out… Believe me, I'm going to be helping you guys find the bad guy from here on out." Bret stated and held out a hand for Paul to shake, which he did.

He turned, grabbed his backpack from the bed and left without another word.

* * *

Shane closed the door to the balcony and looked over at Shawn.

"What'd you want to talk about, Shawn?" Shane asked as he leaned on the railing of the balcony, mirroring Shawn's actions.

Shawn stared out in the distance, watching people walk on the sidewalks. He sighed and looked over at Shane, then leaned his back against the railing and sighed.

"The obvious, kiddo,"

Shawn put a hand to Shane's chest and pulled it back. Blood.

"Yeah. I think you tore a stitch or two." Shawn stated as he showed his hand to Shane, who looked down at his chest in shock.

"I… Honestly didn't know about it. I mean… The last thing I remember is talking to my dad about David and Paul… That's where things go black."

Shawn sighed and lowered his arm.

"What happened, then? I mean… Before you blacked out? Did something happen at the restaurant?" He asked.

Shane nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah. Paul got a phone call from Steve, who went to Ohio to visit Austin Payne in jail, and was damn convinced the asshole told Steve the truth when he said Bret Hart was in charge of everything,"

Shane looked Shawn in the eyes.

"You know Paul isn't as innocent as he claims to be, right,"

Shane watched as Shawn nodded his head.

"Okay, good. I tried to tell Paul to step down because Bret isn't the one we need to go after… But he was being stubborn about it. He decided to introduce my face to the corner of the table for trying to stop him from coming back here…"

Shawn scoffed and looked back over the balcony.

"I can't believe he would go this far to try and avoid the truth… It's only going to make things worse when it finally comes out." Shawn stated.

Shane watched as he exhaled sadly and looked around in the distance for something to settle his eyes on. Shawn was attempting to hide his true emotions. It was pathetic.

"Shawn,"

Shane placed a hand on Shawn's shoulder and pulled on it gently, urging Shawn to turn to face him, which he did.

"Even though you're not admitting to it, I know you're pretty upset about this… I'll always be around for you to vent to, Shawn. You can trust me… I promise." Shane stated and smiled sympathetically.

* * *

Steve was walking into the airport when his cell phone started buzzing. He sighed and put down his carryon luggage, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He saw it was Paul, so he picked up.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Steve, its Paul. Where are you?" He asked.

"I'm in Ohio. I just walked into the airport. What do you want? I have a flight to catch in the next hour." Steve replied.

"Your ass had better turn around and get back to that prison! Austin Payne lied to you about who organized this. I called him out on it and Shane, of all people, freaked out on me. Bret told me flat out that he didn't do it. It couldn't have been him. Everyone was hell bent on protecting him from me."

Steve sighed and ran a hand over his head.

"Yeah… I'll look into it…"

* * *

**A/N: Woo-hoo! Done! I know this chapter was short and a little weird, but the next chapter is probably going to be a lot more explanatory… I promise.**

**The title of the chapter, 'Going Through The Motions,' is the name of a song by McFly from their CD 'Radio:ACTIVE.'**


	38. A Promise Broken Is As Good As A Lie

Dark Reflections

Chapter 38

A Promise Broken Is As Good As A Lie

Shawn stared at Shane. He honestly didn't know if he should trust him or not. Sure, Shane had never double-crossed him in the past, but the whole thing with Paul made him feel unsure of things. The sweet smile on Shane's face made him feel ridiculous for doubting him in the first place. He saved his life, for God's sake!

"Would you believe me if I told you I'm not sure how to feel about this situation? I mean… If Paul is actually involved, which I doubt, I'm sure I'll be able to respond… But, as of right now, my brain isn't responding. If I know what I could say, I'd say it. I really appreciate this, Shane. I was sure you were going to stop talking to me after what happened a few days ago…"

Shane scoffed.

"Please. Me? Stop talking to you? You're funny, Shawn. I don't care what anyone says… You're family. You helped put the majority of the gray hairs on my dad's head," Shane paused to chuckle and was grateful to hear Shawn join in.

"I'd do anything for you, Shawn… Don't look at what happened on Monday as a bad thing. I'm an adult. I knew what I was getting myself into. Nothing was your fault, and don't let anyone try to tell you anything different… I guess I'd want someone to do the same for me if I was in that situation."

Shane was somewhat shocked when he heard Shawn scoff.

"Please, kid. I'm sure you'd be allowed some freedom if the roles were reversed."

* * *

Steve grumbled as he stormed back into the prison. He walked up to the desk clerk from earlier and sighed deeply.

_Why did I volunteer for this again?_

"Hey there." Steve watched as the Corporal looked up at him.

"Back again? Didn't get enough information the first time?" He asked.

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Loose end. He lied to me. My friend could be in serious trouble and I don't even know."

Corporal Secondo sighed and looked around.

"I'm really not supposed to be doing this... Hell, I said that earlier... But I'm gonna let you back up. I hope you get what you want this time…"

Secondo gestured to the visitors log and watched as Steve signed it.

"I really do appreciate this... I can't tell you how much it means to me." He stated, then looked Corporal Secondo in the eye and nodded his thanks.

"Yeah, yeah... I hope you get what you want this time. Officer Erikson will bring you up. He's a rookie, so be nice."

Steve was approached by the extremely shy, bright-eyed Officer Erikson. He had curly brownish-red hair and large cerulean blue eyes.

"Follow me please, sir…" The rookie stated and started walking down the hall.

Steve followed him without a second thought. He already liked this guy a lot more than Sergeant Stevenson.

"When did you start, if you don't mind my asking?" Steve asked, trying to ease the awkwardness in the air.

He hated awkward, and he already knew it was a semi-long walk to the visitor's room. Officer Erikson turned to smile at Steve and started walking next to him as opposed to in front of him.

"I started about 2 or 3 months ago. I graduated from the Academy about 6 months ago. I was really happy to get a job so fast and close to home. I really lucked out. Thank you for asking."

Steve smiled back at the rookie.

"Not a problem, Erikson. How do you like your job so far?" Steve asked.

"I really like it. I've wanted to do this since I was a kid. My dad was a cop, so it's kind of in my blood,"

Erikson stopped walking and turned to look at Steve.

"Mr. Payne is in that room. He's a mouthy one, so watch what you say. Knock on the door when you've had enough and I'll escort you back to Corporal Secondo. It's been a pleasure." Erikson stated and stuck out his hand.

Steve shook it.

"Pleasure's all mine. Good luck in the future."

Steve walked in the room and narrowed his eyes angrily when he saw Austin Payne roll his eyes at him. The other man scoffed as well.

"Oh great. You again. I was hoping for a little variety from you lot. What do you want now, Steve? Didn't pound on my face enough the first time?" Payne cockily asked.

"Keep up that tone and I'll beat you so bad, the coroner will have to identify you using blood samples and bone fragments," Steve watched the cocky smile fade from Payne's face.

"That's what I thought. I'm here to tell you something that you already know. You lied to me earlier about Bret Hart's involvement in this. He's as innocent as Shawn. Try again… And you'd better tell me the truth this time."

Payne sighed and gestured to the chair across the table from him.

"You'd better sit down. This is going to really piss you off… And I don't want you to hit me because of it." Payne stated and watched as Steve sat down.

"Spill the beans… And, this time, don't leave anything out." Steve grumbled.

"Right. I'll start from the beginning… I got a call back in November of 2002 from a man who didn't want to disclose his identity to me over the phone. I know it sounds stupid, but he was pissed off that Shawn was back in the ring and won the title after a 4 year absence from competing. He expressed wanting Shawn killed, but each time he mentioned it, he would tell me a different way of doing it. The final way was just how it happened: kidnap and beating. He said it would lower Shawn's pride to a point where he would be better off dead. We spoke on and off for the next 3 and a half years… Which was when he finally decided to meet me after a live event in Cleveland. I was quite surprised to learn his identity..," Payne looked around and attempted to back a little further away from Steve.

"It was none other than Paul Levesque."

Steve literally felt his stomach turn.

"What did you just say?" He growled.

Payne sighed.

"I said it was none other than Paul Levesque. I have no idea why, but he was hell bent on destroying Shawn. I think he was jealous because he had to share the spotlight with Shawn. Anyway, he was telling me about how he wanted me to sneak into the arena and snag Shawn when he wasn't around. He paid off the event staff and, from what I heard, was an excellent actor when it came to learning of what happened and faking the role of the extremely concerned best friend..,"

Payne watched as Steve rolled his hands into fists and slammed them on the table.

"Aren't you happy you sat down? I told you this was going to piss you off. You should relax, though… It's not good for your blood pressure."

Steve looked over at Payne and sighed.

"What does he have planned?" He asked, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper.

Payne sighed again.

"Well… I know he wants to kill Shawn. And I know he has some kind of horse tranquilizer on him… So you'd better be careful. Is someone with Shawn now..?" Payne asked.

Steve shrugged his shoulders.

"I wish I knew…" He replied.

"You'd better call somebody… I know Shane is as straight as an arrow in this situation, so you can confide in him. I promise he has nothing to do with anything… And, Steve," Payne paused and watched as the other man looked him in the eyes.

"I wish I wasn't involved, either."

* * *

Shane sighed and put a hand on Shawn's shoulder again.

"Listen, I know things are really rough for you right now… And I know you're sick of hearing it, but things are bound to get better in time. You'll see. You won't regret making the choices you made… I promise..,"

Shane looked down when he noticed his phone was vibrating.

"It's probably my dad… I should get back to him, anyway. I'm sure he's going to yell at me for breaking the door down,"

Shane looked back up at Shawn.

"Are you going to be alright here?" He asked.

Shawn looked him in the eyes.

"Sure… Get back to the old man. Don't want him writing you out of his will." Shawn replied with a small smile, making Shane smile as well.

He hugged Shawn goodbye and walked back into the hotel room.

Paul looked up at Shane.

"Your old man said to send you his way when you were finished talking to Shawn." Paul stated, making Shane stop walking halfway through the room to look at him.

"Yeah, I figured… Listen… I'm sorry for whatever I did before. I… Wasn't thinking clearly…" Shane stated, looking around the room to avoid looking Paul in the eyes.

"Yeah. It's okay, I guess. Revenge for me making you face plant into the table… Which, by the way, I'm really sorry for." Paul stated.

Shane shrugged indifferently.

"It's fine. Friends fight all the time. I'll see you later." He stated and left the room.

Paul sat down on the spare bed and stared at the wall for a few moments, trying to think of how to handle the situation. He honestly didn't know what to do anymore. Why would Austin Payne be so quick to lie about who was responsible when it could possibly save his own ass when it came to serving his sentence? Certain things didn't make sense to him, and he was really happy he didn't go into law enforcement like his father and uncle wanted him to.

He looked up when Shawn came back in from the balcony and closed the door, rather hard, on accident.

"Shit. Sorry…" Shawn stated and walked over to his bed like he was going to get yelled at for it.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Are you tired?" Paul asked.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders, then sighed and nodded his head yes.

"Yeah, actually. I thought I wouldn't be, but I remembered the fact you guys woke me up with your banging around and whatnot. Boys will be boys, that's for sure." Shawn stated with a chuckle as he laid back down on the bed.

Paul smiled.

"Yeah, we definitely will be. What'd you have to talk to Shane about?" He asked.

Shawn opened one eye to look at Paul, then closed it again and shifted onto his side so he could see his friend better.

"The fact he has blood on his shirt. He didn't even realize it until I pointed it out to him…" Shawn replied with a yawn.

Paul tapped his chin with his right hand.

"Blood on his shirt..? That means he tore a stitch, right?" He asked.

Shawn nodded.

"Mm-hmm. Nothing that can't be easily remedied, though. I heard about your fight at the restaurant." Shawn stated and looked at Paul, who lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah? I hope that's not what caused it… I honestly can't say why I got so angry, but I really felt like beating him to a pulp. It was probably because of the fact Steve called from Ohio with those lies Austin Payne told him… I really believed it until I got here, and I guess Shane is a lot more sensible than I am when it comes to things like that. He can think on command… It takes me awhile."

Paul looked at Shawn and was surprised to see his eyes were closed. He thought Shawn was sleeping until he heard the older man chuckle.

"Your hair color probably has something to do with it…"

* * *

Vince looked up at Shane once the younger McMahon let himself in to their hotel room. He watched, very closely, as his son walked over to one of the beds and collapsed onto it. Vince sighed and looked back at his newspaper… It was nothing new. Well… He _thought_ it was nothing new until he heard Shane groan in discomfort and sit up faster than Shawn could possibly nip up.

"What's the matter?" Vince asked as he lowered his newspaper again and looked over at his son.

Shane put a hand to his chest and pulled it away, then sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Nothing, dad… Absolutely nothing."

Vince narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Yeah, and I'm Tinkerbell,"

Vince stood up and ignored the odd sarcastic look on his sons face as he walked over to him.

"Arms up. You know the routine,"

Vince watched as Shane narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'm not a child, dad. I'm perfectly capable of taking off my own shirt." Shane responded.

Vince rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I know you can. Just ask me if I care at the moment. Arms up. Let's go."

Shane continued glaring at his father, but did what he was told.

"Be _careful_," Shane grumbled as Vince roughly grabbed a hold of the bottom of his son's shirt and pulled on it.

Vince once again rolled his eyes and continued pulling on the shirt until it came off. He tossed it to the side and looked down at his son's chest. The white bandages had turned red.

"What the fuck happened?" He asked.

It was now Shane's turn to roll his eyes.

"You were there too, dad… You saw what happened." He replied.

Vince paced back and forth for a little while, trying to think of first aid procedures.

"Okay… What should we do? Should I put hydrogen peroxide on it to clean it? Why don't they give you instructions for when you leave the hospital with stitches?" Vince grumbled.

Shane laughed at him, making him stop dead in his tracks to glare at his son.

"Dad, I'm fine. It's just a torn stitch. It can't kill me. Just… Go back to your paper and calm down… I'm gonna lay down for a bit."

Vince narrowed his eyes at Shane… Again.

"Good." He barked, spun on his heels and walked back to his newspaper.

Shane nodded his head in disbelief, then laid down on the bed and looked at the ceiling.

Things were getting pretty confusing.

* * *

**A/N: w00t w00t. Another chapter has been completed. Hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter as much (hopefully more) as I enjoyed typing it. I'm gonna be pretty busy for the next few days, so I hope you can wait for a little while before 'Dark Reflections' is updated again.**

**Ooooh. I did leave it off in a shitty spot for a break, didn't I? CLIFFHANGERS = RAGE!**

**The title, 'A Promise Broken Is As Good As A Lie,' is a line in the song 'All Hope is Gone' by Slipknot.**


	39. Getting Worse Til There's Nothing Left

Dark Reflections

Chapter 39

Getting Worse Til There's Nothing Left

Paul looked at Shawn and was surprised to see his eyes were closed. He thought Shawn was sleeping until he heard the older man chuckle.

"Your hair color probably has something to do with it…"

Paul watched as Shawn dozed and eventually drifted off to sleep. As a matter of fact, Paul preferred Shawn asleep. He was a lot less annoying and more innocent looking… But Paul knew he wasn't innocent.

He sighed and walked over to his bag, then took out a syringe and a horse tranquilizer called Ketamine. He swiped it from a horse breeder in Fremont during one of his few visits to talk to Austin Payne. He walked back over to his sleeping friend and slowly filled the syringe with the drug. Sure, it might kill Shawn, but he'd be better off.

Paul couldn't suppress his grin. He'd wanted this for so long. Little "innocent" Shawn Michaels at his mercy.

Sure, he knew everyone around him was going to have a fit when they found out about his involvement in this, but he didn't care. It was something he was hell bent on doing for nearly 4 years. How could Shawn be so pigheaded to return and take what was rightfully his? He worked damn hard for that belt. The only person Vince ever pretty much bowed to was Shawn, and it was only because of how he went about winning him over.

_Stupid ignorant fuck up._

Shane almost blew his cover. How inconvenient for him to suddenly start talking to his little ghost friends again. The only reason he tossed the little twit head first into the table was because he _saw_ that damn look in Shane's eyes that _told_ him he knew what he was hiding. Paul was really happy that Vince didn't understand his son to the same level almost everyone else did. After hanging out with Shane for a few months, Paul was able to pick up on his body language and the secret meaning behind every single motion. He _knew_ damn well Shane could bust him at any minute. His reasoning for not doing so was beyond Paul's knowledge… Nobody ever said every aspect of Shane was easy to understand…

He put the bottle of Ketamine in his pocket and carefully lowered himself onto the bed next to Shawn. He carefully rolled Shawn onto his back and paused when the older man moaned. When he showed no signs of waking up, Paul placed a strong arm against Shawn's neck and pushed down, further refraining the other man from getting up. He was surprised when he heard a light yelp came from Shawn.

Paul looked down at Shawn and saw his eyes were wide in confusion and fear. He attempted to struggle, but his attempts were flat out pathetic.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Shawn somehow managed to speak even though Paul's arm was pressing against his voice box.

Paul chuckled and nodded his head almost sarcastically.

"I know damn well Shane told you what's been going on… Can you honestly admit you didn't believe him?"

Shawn narrowed his eyes and gasped for air. He groaned and looked around the room, then looked back at Paul and frowned.

"I didn't want to believe him because you mean a lot to me,"

Shawn noticed the syringe in Paul's hand and raised an eyebrow.

"What the fuck is that?" He asked.

Paul chuckled again and brought the syringe closer to Shawn's face so he could see it.

"It's a syringe… Full of Ketamine. You're going to demonstrate how well a _full_ syringe works on humans."

Shawn widened his eyes.

"Ketamine is a horse tranquilizer, Paul. That could kill me." He replied, hoping his friend… Or, who he thought was his friend, rather, would ease up.

Paul, however, showed no signs of changing his mind.

"What do you think my intention was from the beginning?"

* * *

Shane was almost asleep when the motion of his cell phone's vibrating made him jump up. Vince once again lowered a corner of his newspaper to eye his son, who was frantically looking for his phone. He watched Shane practically throw himself off the bed and retrieve the phone, which was under his pillow the whole time, and answer it in a hurry.

"Hello?" Shane shouted.

"JESUS, SHANE! WHO TAUGHT YOU HOW TO ANSWER A PHONE! I'M PRETTY SURE IT WAS LINDA, AND I'M DAMN SURE SHE DIDN'T TELL YOU IT WAS OKAY TO YELL!"

Shane's eyes went wide as he listened to Steve shout at him over the phone. Vince's eyes widened as he stared at his son.

"Jesus Christ, Steve. I'm sorry. Calm down… You don't have to yell. I don't want to go deaf at the tender age of 36… What's the matter?" Shane asked.

Steve sighed.

"Sorry, kid. You startled me and I thought it would be nice to do the same to you… Anyway… Where are you right now?"

"I'm with my dad in our hotel room… Why? Did you find out something new?" Shane asked.

Steve once again sighed.

"Yeah, you bet I did… I'm guessing you left Paul alone with Shawn..?" He asked.

Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… Yeah… What other choice did I have? Paul was pretty much strangling Bret Hart and apparently I broke the door down to attack Paul. I had a small chat with Shawn… Dad wanted me back in the hotel room… And I think Bret got sick of Paul's shit and left. What's wrong?" Shane asked, sitting back down on the edge of the bed as he did so.

"You have to get your ass back there. Right now."

Shane made eye contact with his father and once again raised a confused eyebrow.

"Uh… Why..?" He asked.

Steve growled.

"You mean to tell me you don't know? Or are you playing dumb! Cause if you're playing dumb, can I please smack you? Come on, Shane… Think!" Steve paused and waited for Shane to do just that.

He heard Shane sigh.

"You mean to tell me Payne finally spilled the beans about the whole damn thing?" He asked.

"Yes, indeed he did. The fucker said Paul was in charge of it from the beginning, and they had been talking about the situation for nearly 4 years. Paul wants him dead, Shane-O… And you're the closest person to the room. Get your ass back in there. Please."

Steve paused and listened to Shane's breathing. He was slightly worried about what he just did. He heard Shane growl under his breath and mumble incoherently.

"I'm heading over there now." Shane stated and hung up.

Vince looked up at Shane again and watched as he pocketed his cell phone, then stormed over to a drawer and grabbed the first item of clothing he could find: a pale blue tank top. He threw it on and was about to head out the door. Vince cleared his throat, so Shane stopped in his tracks and went back to the drawers. He grabbed a black button down and put it on (but left it unbuttoned) and turned to look at his father.

"That's fine, Shane. Where are you going?" He asked.

Shane grumbled and cracked his knuckles.

"I think you can figure that out on your own," He replied and stormed out of the room.

* * *

Shane marched up to the hotel door he broke no more than 2 hours ago and pounded on it. He rubbed his chest as he waited for Paul to open the door. His bullet wound was starting to ache again. Shane understood the fact he was only human, hell he even learned it the hard way several times, but now was not the time for that to become obvious. He looked up when he heard pacing behind the door.

"I know you're in there, Paul… And we both know it would be wise for you to open the door."

Just as Shane finished his statement and was about to pound on the door again, the door opened to reveal a slightly pissed off Paul Levesque.

"Jesus, Shane… Could you be any louder? You're gonna wake up Sleeping Beauty." Paul paused to gesture angrily in the direction of Shawn.

Shane looked behind him and narrowed his eyes before looking back at Paul.

"Aren't you going to be polite and invite me in? Or are you going to continue yelling at me in the hallway?" Shane asked, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot.

Paul rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't you say you wanted to come in?" He asked, then stepped out of the way and motioned for Shane to enter the room, which he did.

Shane stared at Shawn while Paul attempted to close the door.

"Sounds like I did a hell of a job on that door." Shane stated, still not taking his eyes off of Shawn.

He understood the fact that the older man was asleep, but something didn't feel right. Shawn's breathing was a little awkward, and he didn't look comfortable like he usually did as he slept.

"Yeah. I don't understand why you had to go and knock it off the hinges… But to each their own," Paul replied as he was finally able to get the door closed.

He turned to look at Shane and was both mortified and angered by the fact his brother in law had walked over to Shawn.

"What are you doing?" Paul asked, taking several steps closer to Shane.

He looked around the room with intense eyes and disappeared into the darkness for a mere moment. He knew Shane wouldn't notice him. Shane carefully observed Shawn, well aware Paul was paying very close attention to him.

"Nothing… Just making sure Shawn is okay…" Shane stated as his eyes spotted an almost microscopic hole on Shawn's neck.

Paul continued staring at the back of Shane's head until Shane turned to look at him.

"Oh. Any reason why?" Paul asked, holding his hands behind his back.

Shane nodded his head no.

"Not at all… I guess you can say I was slightly nervous… It didn't look like he was breathing from where I was standing..," Shane replied and stood up, then turned to face his brother in law and sighed.

"Are you okay? You seem nervous, too." Shane stated and looked at Paul with those all too familiar knowing eyes.

Paul rolled his eyes.

"What would I be nervous about, Shane? I didn't do anything wrong."

Shane chuckled.

"I didn't say you did, Paul. I was just being polite. You seem kind of antsy… And you're uncharacteristically holding your hands behind your back… I should probably leave..,"

Shane walked passed Paul, then suddenly stopped and turned around. He was shocked to see Paul turn around at the same exact time, almost as if he was hiding something.

"Whoa. That was slightly creepy. I guess we've been hanging out too much as of late," Shane paused to chuckle and was slightly creeped out to hear the obviously forced chuckling of Paul.

"Uh… Yeah… Anyway… I'd better go. Just wanted to stop in and check on Shawn. I was going to ask him something, but he seems to be extremely unconscious at the moment." Shane stated, wondering if Paul was going to give himself away.

"You know how he is sometimes… Perfectly fine one moment and knocked out the next. I don't think a bomb could wake him up…"

_Yeah. I wonder why._ Shane thought as he narrowed his eyes, then forced a smile.

"Alright. Text me when he wakes up. I'll come back and ask him, then I'll stay out of your way for a bit. I know you two need to talk things out… See you around." Shane stated as he turned towards the door.

He walked closer to it and was surprised to see Paul's shadow creep extremely close to him, holding an object over his head. He ducked out of the way and banged into the wall, watching as the lead pipe Paul was holding connected with the door.

"Goddammit!" Paul shouted.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Shane shouted as he stared at Paul with extremely wide eyes.

Paul held the pipe in his right hand and turned to look Shane in the eyes.

"I'm sick of you, you fucking little ignorant bastard. You're always one step ahead of me, telling everyone else what I'm going to do before I do it… And, if I already did it, you're fucking ratting me out. I know damn well almost everyone knows that I'm the one who set it up. How could you possibly know all of this!" Paul shouted.

Shane continued staring at him with wide eyes.

"I just do. You should know that."

Paul stomped his foot angrily on the ground.

"It's not fair that you always know everything. I mean, come on… Can't you be wrong for once? Ya know… Misinformed? So… What do you know?" Paul asked, cornering Shane even more than he already was.

"You hired Payne to kidnap Shawn… And you've been planning it for nearly 4 years. That's it." Shane replied.

Paul chuckled and twirled the lead pipe in his hand.

"That's just basic information, Shane… It's kind of shocking that it's all you know…" He teasingly stated.

Shane narrowed his eyes at Paul.

"Yeah? Then why don't you fill me in on what I obviously don't know?" Shane asked.

Paul stopped twirling the lead pipe and looked Shane dead in the eyes.

"Because I'd have to kill you."

Shane rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. You'd go to jail before you can even attempt to tell my dad it was an accident… Steve knows everything. And you do realize Payne could probably get time taken off of his sentence if he testifies against you in court, right? He could put you away for good and embarrass you in front of your family, peers and the world, in general." Shane replied.

Paul once again narrowed his eyes angrily at Shane.

"What makes you think you could get out of this room before I knock your ass out?" He asked.

"I never said I could, Paul. I'm just telling you how your future is going to look..," Shane paused and watched as Paul lowered the pipe.

"Now… Allow me one question… Why Shawn?" He asked.

Paul rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Why _not_ Shawn? I mean, really… Do I actually need a reason? Are you going to sit there and actually tell me that I have to explain myself,"

Paul noticed Shane wasn't going to let up, so he sighed.

"Fine, then. In a short and simple response: Shawn never should have come back to the ring. There, I said it. Are you going to shut up and stop bothering me about it now?" Paul shouted.

Shane nodded his head no.

"Sad to say, I won't. Sorry. What did you do to him?" He asked.

Paul grumbled and rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

"Jesus, Shane, you're just an interviewer that never gets a hint to shut up, aren't you? Alright, let's see… I gave him a little something to help him sleep peacefully. It might kill him. It might not. The amount of time it takes to enter his bloodstream and spread all over his body will only tell if it'll be fatal or not."

"You've gotta be kidding me… This is your best friend we're talking about here. There's no reason to be behaving like this, Paul. I don't care if Shawn came back to the ring after 4 years of retirement and won the title..," Shane paused.

A light bulb went off in his head.

"Is that what this is about? You were jealous because my dad gave the title to Shawn. You didn't want to share the spotlight with him. You worked hard for the title and it was taken away from you in no time at all… Wow. I can't believe I'm just figuring this out now." Shane rubbed his face, then looked up at Paul and was slightly horrified to see the man had a look of pure evil on his face.

"And now you're going to pay for it."

Paul swung the lead pipe as hard and as fast as he could. He couldn't help but smirk when he heard it connect with Shane's sternum… And the odd noise Shane made as all the air was driven from his lungs.

* * *

**A/N: Oh noes! What on earth is going to happen next?**

**To ExtremeDiva18: Sorry for the new turn of events. I just felt it was necessary to give the story a sick twist. I kind of knew readers weren't going to like the idea of Paul being the bad guy, but I thought it was good for a plot twist being nobody was going to see it coming. Thanks for your reviews and I hope you'll see this story out to the end.**

**To Maxx6: I'm very flattered that you thoroughly enjoy reading this story. Your reviews always bring a smile to my face. Believe me, there were times when I finished typing a chapter and I didn't even know what to think anymore. The last line in the previous chapter was added for a reason… And that reason was because I was confused! Again, I'm sorry you didn't want Paul to be the bad guy… But it makes for a good plot twist, no?**

**The name of the chapter, 'Getting Worse Til There's Nothing Left' is a line in the song 'From Now On We Are Enemies' by Fall Out Boy. It's on their Greatest Hits CD and DAMN is it an amazing song! I had it on repeat for about an hour while typing this chapter.**

**Look for an update early in the week… Maybe even around Wednesday… And yes, we're heading towards the end. Sad, isn't it?**

**Edit: As you can see, I took the liberty of editing and re-formatting every chapter of this story. It took awhile to do, but it was a request from a loyal reviewer and I decided it needed to be done. Hope this style is easier to follow!**


	40. Come What May

Dark Reflections

Chapter 40

Come What May

"And now you're going to pay for it."

Paul swung the lead pipe as hard and as fast as he could. He couldn't help but smirk when he heard it connect with Shane's sternum… And the odd noise Shane made as all the air was driven from his lungs.

Shane fell face first on the floor and gasped for air. He found it extremely hard to breathe. He could've sworn he felt something crack when Paul hit him with the goddamn lead pipe, but it was probably his overactive imagination. As if God granted him permission to breathe and continue living at the same time, Shane started choking. He didn't know what was wrong until he tasted that ever so familiar metallic taste in his mouth.

Paul watched as Shane spit blood out of his mouth and slowly pushed himself to a kneeling position.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Paul asked, looking down at Shane with an evil smirk plastered on his face.

Shane glared at him and allowed the blood to flow freely from his mouth. He wasn't going to stop it now.

"I'm a McMahon. I'm not supposed to quit."

Paul narrowed his eyes angrily at Shane and stood over him.

"I dunno, kiddo. You look pretty vulnerable from here," Paul retorted.

Shane glared at Paul. In all honesty, he looked pathetic rather than menacing. The blood leaking from his mouth didn't help matters at all.

"Don't look at me like that. You knew I was up to something." Paul growled, making Shane roll his eyes.

"So I did. Maybe I felt stupid for thinking that way. Maybe I didn't want to believe you would do such a thing." Shane replied, rubbing his chest with his left hand.

He could feel the stickiness under his tank top. That could only mean one thing.

Paul once again narrowed his eyes at Shane. He held the pipe over his head again, getting ready to bring it down on Shane's skull. He knew Shawn was beyond unconscious and wouldn't play hero.

"Hey! McMahon? Levesque? You guys in there?"

_Orton!_

Paul grumbled and lowered the pipe. He knew it was going to take the younger man a little while to get into the room thanks to Shane breaking the door down earlier. He kicked Shane in the bullet wound and thoroughly enjoyed hearing him yelp in pain.

"That's my cue." Paul stated and ran out onto the balcony.

Shane winced as he held his chest and gagged as the blood ran up his throat and out his mouth. It was beyond disgusting. He coughed weakly and slowly lowered himself to the floor. He was beginning to see spots and swirls in his vision, signifying the fact he was going to lose his battle with unconsciousness within the next few minutes.

Shane looked up at the bed and saw Shawn was still unconscious.

_I have to get to Shawn… Randy will be able to help him once he gets in here…_

Shane used his arms to drag himself from his current position halfway to the bed. He flipped onto his back and gasped for air, feeling completely drained.

At that exact moment, Randy broke the door down and looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was the blood trail leading over to what appeared to be a body.

"Where the hell are the lights in this damn room?" Randy asked.

"Near the door, dumbass." Shane rasped.

Randy jumped and, for the moment, was thankful for the fact the room was darker than Vince McMahon's office on one of his "good" days. He went back near the door and found the light switch, then flicked it on and was slightly irritated to see it barely lit half of the room. He looked back towards the body and was extremely shocked to see Shane laying there.

"Shit! Shane," Randy ran over to his friend and knelt down to observe him.

The blood leaking from Shane's mouth and dripping off his shirt onto the floor was definitely **not** a good thing.

"Ah, shit… What did you get yourself into now?" Randy asked.

Shane glared at Randy. He raised a shaky hand and pointed at the bed.

"Help Shawn."

Randy followed Shane's hand and turned to look at Shawn, then looked back at Shane and frowned.

"He's asleep, Shane."

"No, he's not. Trust me… Just go help him."

Randy sighed. He didn't want to leave Shane on the floor by himself. He was quite positive Shane was in more danger than Shawn… At least he was unconscious.

"Shane… He can deal with being unconscious. You're hurt. I need to…"

"Listen to me, goddammit," Randy jumped at Shane's tone and lowered his head. "You have to help Shawn. No questions. Go to it!" Shane shouted to the best of his ability.

Randy nodded obediently and walked over to the bed. He attempted to wake Shawn up, but to no avail. He was beyond unconscious.

_Maybe Shane was right…_

He checked Shawn's pulse and felt how it went from racing to sluggish and back again. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and then dropped a hand on Shawn's forehead. He wasn't hot, but he was sweating. Randy ran a hand down the side of his face and looked back over at Shane.

Shane was currently lying on his back with his knees bent and his booted feet flat on the floor. He was coughing occasionally and mumbling to himself.

_Yeah, he needs more help than I can offer Shawn._

Randy got up and walked back over to Shane, then sat down on the floor and smiled sheepishly at him.

"Why aren't you with Shawn?" Shane asked.

Randy sighed.

"Maybe because he's unconscious and beyond any help I could possibly give him without calling 9-1-1… Where's the person who did this..?" Randy asked.

Shane looked at him with mild shock expressed on his face.

"Oh..? You mean Paul?" He asked.

Randy once again raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

Shane sighed and coughed, then cleared his throat and looked back at Randy with a sarcastic questioning look on his face.

"Alright… I'll humor you. I just found out Paul was in charge of this whole fiasco. He decided to inject Shawn with a horse tranquilizer and get rid of me so nobody would find out… So… In other words… I need you to help Shawn and find Paul."

Randy sighed and looked around the room.

"Where's Paul, then?" He asked.

"Last I saw of him, he went out onto the balcony. He could be anywhere right now… So… What's the plan, then?"

Randy continued looking around the room, trying to process all of this new (and mostly unwanted) information and come up with a plan at the same time. If Paul was able to get off the balcony and get into another room, Randy was going to need some help trying to catch him. Unfortunately, Steve was in Ohio and there was no way in hell Randy was about to call Vince and beg for him to help… Not with Shane in the current state he was in.

…Jericho…?

Randy fished around in his pocket for his cell phone. Once he found it, he located Jericho's number and called him.

"Speak, assclown."

"Hello to you too, Chris. Listen, I need your help…"

Randy looked down at Shane and saw the confused look on his face.

"Why the hell would you call Chris and get him involved..?" He asked.

Randy narrowed his eyes at Shane, who got the hint and stopped talking.

"Yeah? What's the matter…Randy, is it? Did you lose your official Chain Gang member card?"

Randy didn't know if he wanted to laugh at Chris's joke or ridicule him for being an asshole during a serious time like this.

"Yeah, actually, I did. But that's not why I'm calling you. You're in Canada right now, right? Montreal?" Randy asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Chris responded, sounding slightly more serious.

"I need you to get to the hotel and come up to Shawn's room… I have a bit of a problem and I don't know who else I can trust."

"Okay, sadly, I know Shawn's room number… And I know what hotel they're staying at. Jay Reso is in town. You remember him, right?"

"Vaguely. You mean Christian, right?" Randy asked.

"Yeah… I'm in his hotel room right now. I'll be up in a minute, I promise." Chris stated.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me."

Both men hung up their respective cell phones. Randy pocketed his and looked over at Shane, not knowing what to do to help him. It suddenly occurred to him that Shane shouldn't be laying on his back.

"Shane-O…?" Randy asked, scooting a little closer to the man in question.

"What?" Shane rasped.

Randy sat Indian-style next to Shane and looked him in the eyes. Shane looked exhausted. Randy wanted to ask him what he could do to help, but there was only one thing any good friend could do… And that would be call 9-1-1.

"You shouldn't be laying on your back, Shane… You could…"

"Die?" Shane asked with absolutely no emotion in his voice whatsoever.

Randy lowered his eyes to the floor. Shane was starting to scare him.

And, this time, he wasn't going to be afraid to admit it to him.

"…You're scaring me, Shane…" Randy whispered.

Shane looked Randy in the eyes and suddenly felt bad for what he said.

"Sorry," Shane replied and looked away again. "There's someone at the door."

Randy raised an eyebrow and listened carefully. He looked up and saw Chris walk into the room.

"Oh my God… What the hell happened?"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, you guessed it…. Filler chapter. **

**Once again, I apologize for having Paul as the bad guy. It's something I felt was extremely necessary to have happen… And yes, I realize you guys will probably hate me for it.**

**The title of the chapter, 'Come What May' is a song from the ever so awesome **_**Moulin Rouge!**_**, a musical by Baz Luhrmann starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. It's my favorite movie; so if you haven't seen it yet, please go check it out. **


	41. All The Things Come Back To You

Dark Reflections

Chapter 41

All The Things Come Back To You

"Oh my God… What the hell happened?"

Shane half listened to the conversation between Randy and Chris. He was slightly amused by the fact Chris was freaking out whenever Randy mentioned Paul's involvement in everything. Then again, he couldn't really blame Chris. He was there when Paul admitted to everything and was still having problems believing it.

"So what about Shawn? Have you called 911?" Chris asked.

"No, I'm waiting for... Hell, I don't know what I'm waiting for... I guess I want to see if he wakes up..." Randy replied, looking over at Shawn as he did so.

Chris frowned.

"Dude, you're lucky he's still breathing. You should call someone right now... Shane isn't looking all to great, either."

Shane looked up at the mention of his name and frowned slightly. He didn't really like his name getting tossed around in conversations that didn't involve him. He knew he was hurt, and he knew it probably looked worse than it actually was, but he didn't care. Shawn was the top priority.

"I know, but..." Randy was cut off by Shane.

"I'm fine. Concentrate on helping Shawn."

Randy and Chris turned to glare at Shane. The action only confirmed the fact he looked worse than he was. The two turned to face one another and continued discussing what they should do. Shane's hearing faded to one voice.

"You're not okay, you know."

Shane looked to the side and saw Jude, his guardian, sitting next to him on the floor.

_I'm fine for now_. Shane replied, quite angered that his guardian could doubt him now.

"No you're not. You're fading by the minute. And you're making things worse by laying flat on your back. Sit up against the wall."

_I can't._ Shane replied, sighing as he did so and coughing as the blood got stuck in his throat.

"That's it! I'm gonna call Vince. When he gets here, I'll call 911, then we can split and look for Paul!" Randy shouted.

"Oh, just splendid. They're going to call the old bag of bones." Jude commented, rolling his eyes as he spoke to further emphasize his agitation.

Shane's eyes widened.

"No! Don't call my dad!"

Randy and Chris once again looked over at Shane. However, this time their look of determination was replaced by a look of shock.

"What? Why?" Chris asked.

"Dude, I have to call your father. He's the only one that I can trust right now... And he's the one that sent me after you in the first place. He told me to call him if something bad happened... And this, Shane, is bad. I have to call him. He can seriously help us here."

Shane glanced sideways at Jude, hoping he would have something to say.

"Fuck it. Let him come here. Don't blame me when he loses his shit. I can't prevent a heart attack." Jude responded, looking away in defeat.

Shane sighed.

"Fine. Call him."

Randy exhaled deeply, sounding quite grateful that Shane changed his mind about calling Vince.

"I have an idea." Chris stated.

"What's that?" Randy asked, hitting the dial button on his phone once he found Vince in his contacts.

"You stay here with Shane and wait for Vince. I'll take Jay Reso with me to hunt down Pinocchio."

Randy smirked.

"Go for it."

Chris whipped his cell phone out of his pocket and called Jay while Randy spoke on the phone to Vince. Their conversations consisted solely of 'get your ass over here now.' Once they hung up, they looked over at one another.

Jay Reso was the first to arrive. He didn't get to enter the room, mostly because Chris was able to smell his cologne as he was walking down the hall. The two took off faster than Randy could count to two. Just as he looked over at Shane, Vince walked in the room and looked around.

"Oh God..." He whispered, slowly walking over to Shane and dropping to his knees.

Shane looked up at his father and smirked lazily.

"Hey there, hideous." He whispered, smiling when Vince chuckled at his odd choice of greetings.

"Hey yourself," Vince paused to look over at Randy, then Shawn and back again. "What happened..?" His voice trailed off when he saw Randy on the phone.

"911, please state your emergency..."

Vince's eyes filled with tears as he looked down at his son... He wasn't looking so good, but he doubted Randy was calling fully on his behalf.

"Hey, my name is Randy Orton and I'm staying at the Marriott Chateau Champlain... Yeah, the one near the Bell Centre. I have two issues on my hands here. One of my friends was injected with a syringe full of a horse tranquilizer... Yeah, he's been unconscious for well over 20 minutes. My other friend was shot in the chest not so long ago. I don't know what happened, but there's blood seeping from the wound and he's coughing blood up... Okay... We're going to need the cops, too..."

Vince stopped paying attention to Randy's conversation and concentrated on his son. He looked bad. Vince was sure Shane didn't want to admit to it, and he didn't want to force his son, but he wasn't looking himself. It vaguely reminded Vince of how his son looked the night he got shot.

"It's okay, dad." Shane suddenly stated, making Vince look him in the eyes.

"I'm supposed to be telling you that," Vince stated and paused, trying to fight back tears.

"Are you comfortable?"

Shane once again glanced over at Jude. He simply rolled his eyes and gestured for Shane to respond.

"Not really." Shane replied.

Vince sat down on the floor and leaned towards Shane. He gently grabbed a hold of his son's torso and pulled him up, trying to ignore the squeak Shane made as the air was driven and returned to his lungs in a matter of seconds. He cradled his son against him and rested his head on his shoulder. He rubbed Shane's back as gently as he could, trying to both help and urge his son to keep breathing.

"Better?" Vince asked, looking down at Shane to the best of his ability.

Shane was sweating ever so slightly, and his skin tone was paper white. He was breathing heavily through his mouth, his body shaking whenever he exhaled. He was also looking elsewhere; almost as if there was someone he was looking for.

"Kinda." Shane replied.

"What are you looking at?" Vince asked, resting his head on top of Shane's.

Shane scoffed and glanced at his father, even though he knew he couldn't see him. That was when he decided he didn't care if his father thought he was out of his mind. Vince was going to learn what he had wanted to know for years... The truth.

"Someone you can't see." Shane replied.

Vince moved his head ever so slightly so he could look Shane in the eyes.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"He is such an ignorant old fuck!" Jude shouted, making Shane smile.

"Just what it sounds like, dad... Someone you can't see, which means I'm looking at a..."

"Ghost?" Vince sarcastically asked.

Shane rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"If you're not going to listen to me, forget I even brought it up."

Vince sighed in frustration.

"Fine... Sorry... I'm just not used to you being like this anymore..." Vince stated.

Shane looked up at him with a sarcastic confused look on his face.

"'Anymore?' Dad... Depending on the person, this never goes away. I stopped talking about it because I realized you don't care enough to listen. You, like nearly everyone else in the world, think I'm insane..."

"Why now?" Vince suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You started being more open about it out of nowhere... All of a sudden you started mentioning things..."

"Remember when we went to Fremont to rescue Shawn?" Shane asked.

"Yes." Vince responded.

"Paul hit me in the head with a gun. Do you remember that?"

Vince narrowed his eyes angrily. He wondered what the real reasoning of that was now that they knew Paul was behind everything.

"Yes."

"That brought everything back... Ten-fold. Don't get me wrong; I was still in touch with it, but it got... Weirder? Better? I don't know how to describe it."

"So... Why start voicing it to everyone now?"

"Because I had to."

Vince hugged Shane a little closer to him and rocked him ever so slightly. It reminded Shane of the skit on Raw earlier in the year where Paul 'accidentally' hit Shane with a sledgehammer instead of hitting Shawn. Shane raised an eyebrow when he felt Vince kiss his forehead.

"I love you, Shane..," Vince paused and watched as Shane looked up at him.

"And I don't think you're insane."

* * *

Paul was running around the lobby of the hotel trying to avoid being seen by anyone he might know. It was working well for him so far. He didn't see anyone that looked remotely familiar and wasn't recognized by a single person.

He was looking over his shoulder as he was about to sneak towards the door when he walked into someone.

"Shit. Sorry." Paul stated.

He frowned when he turned to look at the person he walked into. Rodney fuckin' Leinhardt... And Jason Arhndt was standing right next to him.

_Today is just not my day..._ Paul thought.

"Hey there, Paul. Long time no see. You remember us, right?" Rodney asked, still sounding as sweet as ever.

"Yeah... You're Rodney and you're Jason Arhndt... Two of the three members of the Mean Street Posse, Shane's old faction. What are you guys doing here?" Paul asked.

"Well, we heard what happened to Shawn and Shane the other night and we were on the road traveling anyway. So we just decided to pop in and see how they were doing. Where are they now? Hospital?" Jason asked.

"No. They're both here in the hotel. Just go up to the front desk and ask them where Vince is staying. They're most likely with him right now... I'm just stepping out for some fresh air." Paul replied.

"Okay, thanks." Jason stated and smiled.

Paul was about to walk away from them when Rodney put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"So how are you holding up? I know this has got to be driving you slightly crazy... I mean... Taking care of Shawn in any way you can and helping your in laws with Shane... Are you okay? How are you?" Rodney asked.

Paul was shocked that, for once since everything started, someone seemed genuinely concerned for his well being... Too bad he didn't have to keep up the charade anymore. Paul paused to contemplate his answer, then smirked and looked Rodney in the eyes.

"I'm fine… Just fine."

Rodney and Jason glanced at one another, then raised their eyebrows and looked back at Paul with concerned looks on their faces.

"Umm… Right… Hey, he looks really familiar. Don't we know him from somewhere?" Jason asked, gesturing behind Paul.

Rodney looked over Paul's shoulder as well, accidentally locking eyes with both Chris and Jay Reso as he did so.

"Yeah, that's Chris Irvine and Jay Reso. We used to work with them, dimwit." Rodney responded.

Paul whirled around to try and find them. Unfortunately for him, Chris and Jay were no more than ten feet away from them.

"Hey! Keep him there!" Chris shouted, jogging over to them with Jay close behind.

"Shit!" Paul shouted, trying to run passed Rodney and Jason, who responded by grabbing a hold of Paul's shoulders and preventing him from passing them.

"What the hell did you do, Paul?" Rodney asked.

"Fuck you!" Paul shouted, continuing to squirm.

"I am so sick of your shit!" Jason shouted.

Jason grabbed a hold of Paul and put him in a sleeper hold. He held Paul there until Chris and Jay ran up to them.

"Thanks a bunch, guys… We really appreciate it… Hey, didn't you two used to work for the WWE?" Chris asked.

"Yep. Rodney and Joey from the Mean Street Posse… What's going on, anyway?" Rodney asked.

"That assclown is in deep trouble with the McMahons… And the police once they get here." Chris stated.

Jason and Rodney shot a glance at one another.

"Isn't he married to Stephanie now? How could he be in trouble with the McMahons?" Jason asked.

"Well… Let's just say he's been lying to Vince for months and he was the one who set up every aspect of Shawn's kidnapping." Jay replied.

"What?" Rodney and Jason shouted in unison.

"Yeah… So we're going to need to take him back with us until the cops arrive. We have to go back up to Shawn's room. He's unconscious after getting injected with a horse tranquilizer… And Paul hurt Shane. I don't know what he did, but he's not okay." Chris explained.

Rodney knelt down and glared at Paul.

"I could kill you right now just because you decided to hurt one of my best friends." Rodney seethed.

"How about we come up there with you? That way we can…"

Paul somehow elbowed Jason in the gut, making him break the sleeper hold. He bolted away from Jason and narrowly escaped the hellacious tackle Rodney attempted. Jay and Chris ran after Paul as fast as they could, both of them screaming at people to 'stop that man.' Chris didn't want to admit it, but he felt like a cop… And he kind of liked it.

Paul kept running, dodging random people and pushing others in the way to try and prevent Jay and Chris from catching up to him. He had no idea where Jason and Rodney were, nor did he care. All he cared about was getting the hell out of there without being caught.

Unfortunately for Paul, he ran head first into Rodney and Jason, who were somehow able to get to the area Paul ran towards without taking the same route. Rodney pounced on Paul to keep him on the floor.

"Don't fucking move, you little bastard!" He shouted.

By the time Chris and Jay caught up, Paul had stopped squirming against Rodney and decided to stare at the ceiling.

"Nice catch." Jay stated.

"Yeah, thanks." Jason responded.

Rodney stood up, then Chris, Jay and Jason grabbed a hold of Paul and pulled him up.

"I know you're not all too pleased about the fact we caught you… But we sure as hell are… So if you don't mind… We're going to take you back upstairs so you can get arrested when the cops get here." Chris stated.

"Yeah, as I was saying before… We could go up with you, that way he can't break away so easily and we get to see Vince and Shane in one swoop." Jason commented.

"That sounds like a great idea. Let's go." Chris replied.

Paul was literally surrounded by four people, who had no intention of letting him go and were dragging him towards the nearest elevator. Chris pushed the button for the floor the McMahons were staying on and waited as the doors opened.

"You'd better hope they're going to be okay…" Jay seethed in Paul's ear.

"I don't." Paul replied.

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter has been completed! We're getting even closer to the ending, which makes me feel both upset and proud. **

**I would like to take this moment to thank KayMoon24 for her review on the last chapter. Kay is a **_**Sherlock Holmes**_** fanfiction author who knows nothing about wrestling, so it was really nice of her to drop by and give 'Dark Reflections' a shot. Thanks a bunch, Kay! You're awesome! **

**Sarcastic Nightmare – You, of all people, should know how much I enjoy torturing Shane. And you should know how my awkward method of writing works… You've seen me writing both 'Dark Reflections' and 'Lies From Within' in person. I'm glad this story continues to entertain you and you keep reviewing it. **

**The name of the chapter 'All The Things Come Back To You' is a line in the song 'Dream On' by Aerosmith… Even though I'm most familiar with the cover done on Glee by Matthew Morrison and Neil Patrick Harris. If you haven't heard it yet, go seek out the video on YouTube… The episode was called 'Dream On,' and the segment is really easy to find. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and are anxiously awaiting the end! **


	42. Shadows Fade Into The Light

Dark Reflections

Chapter 42

Shadows Fade Into The Light

Shane once again looked up at his father. His vision was starting to double and blur, swirl and speckle. Fade in and out.

"Dad?" Shane hesitantly asked.

Vince opened his eyes when he heard Shane call for him. He nearly dozed off in the extremely uncomfortable position he was sitting in even though his heart was beating a million miles per minute. The thought of losing his son seriously frightened him.

"Yes?" Vince whispered back.

"I love you… A lot… You know that, right?" Shane asked.

Vince pulled his head away from his son so he could attempt to look him in the eyes.

"Of course I do, Shane… Why would you question such a thing?" Vince asked, raising an eyebrow at his son.

"I'm sorry… If I ever did anything you didn't like…" Shane whispered in response.

Vince felt his face grow hot in what he could only describe as horror.

"Are you... Saying goodbyes," He asked. When Shane didn't respond, he sighed and continued. "Shane… You don't have to say goodbyes. You don't have to say how much you love me or that you're sorry… I know what you want to say. You don't have to say anything…"

Shane raised an eyebrow at his father but wound up looking at him with awe.

"How did…?" Shane attempted to finish his question, but Vince cut him off.

"Let me tell you a little story, Shane… When you were about a day and a half old, you opened your eyes and looked at me the way you looked at me just now… It kind of resembled 'oh fuck, you're my father?' But, after a little while of us spending time together, it changed into a look that said 'okay, I trust you.' And that's why I never dropped you. It's why I never had any doubts about you. I never felt doubtful when I was with you." Vince whispered, ignoring the fact his voice was quivering and his eyes were filling with tears.

Shane smirked lazily at his father.

"I have to... Because I trust you the most. You know. To take care of my kids. And Marissa..."

Shane looked over at Randy and saw the somewhat disappointed look on his face.

"Its not like I'm selling you short, Randy," Shane paused and watched as the younger man turned to look at him. "Its just... I know my dad will do it without a second thought..."

Randy gave a slight nod in response.

"I understand." He whispered, not trusting his voice to hide his emotions.

"Come here, Randy," Shane suddenly stated.

Randy stood up and walked over to Shane, then knelt down in front of him. He had to admit he didn't want to be closer to Shane, but at the same time, he wanted to do nothing but hug him and obey his every command.

"Look over there. At Jude." Shane told him.

Randy stared at Shane in shock. That's one thing he didn't want to do.

"Shane... I don't..." Randy tried to explain, but Shane cut him off.

"Don't lie to me, Randy. I know you can see him..," Shane watched as Randy continued to keep his eyes cast down on the floor. He was nodding his head no. His eyes were filled to the brim with tears.

"Please, Randy..,"

Randy looked up at Shane and saw the desperate look in his eyes.

"Tell my dad I'm not crazy." Shane begged.

Randy couldn't say no to that. Never in his years of knowing Shane, which was technically his whole life, had he heard him beg.

Randy looked over at Jude and noticed the not so happy look he was receiving. He sighed and looked back over at Vince.

"He's not insane." Randy stated, finally feeling his eyes grow hot with the new addition of tears.

"I know." Vince calmly replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Randy gave a slight nod, letting Vince know he acknowledged what he said. He looked back down at Shane and was horrified at how pale he got in a matter of minutes. That could only mean one thing...

Shane was dying.

"Please," Randy suddenly blurted out, making both McMahon men look at him. "Please don't go, Shane... I love you too much. I know I'm a jerk sometimes. And I know I don't say it enough. But I love you. I'm too selfish to let you go." Randy stated, bursting into tears as he did so.

Vince wanted to calm him down, but he had no idea what to do. He looked at Shane and saw he had some sort of idea.

"Randy... I'm going to tell you a little something that might help... Do you want to know why humans live longer than dogs?" Shane asked.

Randy looked at him like he was insane

"What?" He asked in response.

"Why humans live longer than dogs. I'll tell you why. Humans are born so they can learn to love and be nice to everyone at the same time. Dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to live as long."

Randy and Vince exchanged a look, then looked back at Shane and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not following you..." Randy stated.

Shane smirked at him.

"I knew you weren't going to. I just wanted to make you stop crying," Shane paused to watch Randy smile, so he returned the gesture. "In all seriousness... I don't mean to toot my own horn here... But I'm the dog in this situation."

Randy let everything settle in his mind and nodded his head in understanding. He truly had no words for what Shane told him.

"Shane... You're getting colder..." Vince whispered.

Randy looked over at Vince, then looked back at Shane and locked eyes with him. Shane saw the look of intense fear and sadness in Randy's eyes, whereas Randy saw how calm Shane was.

"I love you, Randy."

Randy nodded his head. "I know... And I love you, too..."

Shane smiled at him.

"You know what I remember most about you, Randy? I remember the time we were hanging out backstage, tossing a football around. The football got away from us and wound up hitting Hulk Hogan. We were able to get away, but he knew it was us... He even autographed the football on the section we nailed him with."

"I remember that." Randy stated with a large smile on his face.

"You know what else I remember? I remember that summer where I taught you how to throw a baseball. That got away from us, too, and it wound up in a bowl of fruit punch in the cafeteria." Shane stated.

"You mean to tell me that was thanks to you two?" Vince shouted, mostly out of humor than anger.

"That was a great summer." Randy replied.

"Randy... Please do me a favor... I want you to do that with my kids. Teach them how to throw a baseball. Teach them how to knock an old time wrestler in the head with a football and get away with it. Please? For me?" Shane asked.

"Anything for you." Randy responded.

"Thank you. Now I have a word or two of advice for you... Get married with no doubts. Do not get sleeves... You'll learn when the time comes... And definitely stick with the name 'Alanna.' Once again, you'll understand... Promise?" He whispered.

Randy nodded, allowing tears to spill from his eyes as he did so. "Promise."

Shane smiled weakly and glanced to the side. Almost like magic, Jude vanished into thin air. For once in Shane's life, there was nobody looking back at him with skepticism on their face. His mind was quiet.

Time was running out.

"Shit," He suddenly shouted, making Vince and Randy jump. "Jason... And Rodney are on their way... Oh God, no... Damn... Randy... Please... Please handle it."

"Handle what? What are you talking about?" Randy asked.

"Please... Talk to everyone... Rodney. Chris. Jay Reso. Jason. Make them understand its okay to say goodbye." Shane replied, tears filling his eyes as he did so.

Randy once again felt tears spilling from his eyes as he nodded his head in agreement.

"Of course." He whispered.

Shane nodded and rested his head against his father's chest. The tears dripped lazily from his eyes, almost as if they weren't supposed to be there in the first place.

"Love... You..." Shane mumbled.

Randy watched with wide eyes as his childhood best friend closed his eyes, let his head drop to the side and stopped breathing. The tears were now leaking from his eyes from what seemed like a never-ending batch.

"God... No..." Randy sobbed.

Vince stared in shock. He lowered his head onto Shane's and cried, holding his son close to him. He knew it was going to be the last time he would be allowed to do so.

Rodney ran into the room ahead of the other men. They were close behind, but he didn't care.

"Vince! Guess who..." Rodney went to continue, but he stopped short at what he saw.

Vince was on the ground, cradling someone that just had to be Shane and a young wrestler was kneeling next to them, sobbing. All Rodney could do was stare in shock.

Vince snapped out of it once he heard Rodney stop talking. He pulled away from Shane and gently kissed his sons forehead, then turned to look at Rodney. Jason, Jay Reso, Chris Jericho and Paul appeared in the doorway. Whatever noise they were making in the hallway completely died down when they saw Vince.

"Randy... Please... Hold Shane." Vince whispered.

Randy got a hold of himself long enough to respond. "Okay."

Randy allowed Vince to move out of the way before grabbing a hold of someone who was like his older brother and cradling him in his lap. He rested his head on top of Shane's and watched the other men.

The one thing he noticed was Rodney Leinhardt staring at him and Shane. He was utterly speechless in the worst way possible. It took Randy awhile to realize the fact that Rodney grew up with Shane.

Vince stormed over to Paul.

"Why, you…" Vince growled.

He was surprised to see Jay Reso take a step in front of him, blocking him from Paul.

"Vince… I wouldn't do that if…" Jay was completely cut off by Vince.

"Shut up," He shouted.

Jay jumped in shock and, of course, the tone of Vince's voice. It was dangerously loud. Jay nodded and backed away, allowing Vince access to Paul.

"Are you happy, Paul? You fucking killed my son… I trusted you… I trusted you with my daughter. I trusted you with Shawn… And I trusted you with Shane. But what did you do? You attempted to kill your best friend… And you killed my son." Vince stated through gritted teeth. His fists were clenched and shaking and there were tears leaking from his eyes.

Jay Reso once again stepped forward and was able to gently pull Vince away from Paul.

"Vince… Vince, please, listen to me…" Jay paused and waited for Vince to look him in the eyes. He saw how upset Vince was and, in return, Vince saw the unshed tears in Jay's eyes.

"Stay out of this, Jay… I just want to fucking hit him." Vince stated.

"No, Vince… No you don't. Because one shot won't be good enough. It'll turn into two shots. Two will turn into twenty. And, eventually, you'll wind up killing him. That'll make you no better than him, Vince. You'll go to jail for it. Listen to me… Paul deserves to go to jail for what he's done… And right now you have to go and sit with Shane. Please."

Chris took the moment to attempt to blink away the tears in his eyes.

"Rodney… Is he… Shane, I mean… Is he…?" Chris' voice trailed off.

He couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yes. He's gone." Randy replied.

Chris took the moment to turn and look at Paul. Chris struggled to make himself seem menacing, especially since all he wanted to do was break down.

"Are you happy about what you've done?" He shouted.

Paul smirked. "I thought Shane's little ghost friends would be able to save him." He replied.

Jay was able to grab a hold of Vince just before the older man would have tackled Paul to the ground and beat the stuffing out of him.

"You son of a bitch! There was nobody around to help him after you left him to bleed to death!" He shouted.

Just as Vince finished up his sentence, the EMTs rushed into the room with cops not so far behind.

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter completed! And, of course, we're getting closer and closer to the end.**

**I'm really thankful for the support you guys have given me so far. Thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much.**

**Before anyone yells at me for killing Shane… Yes, I love him to death… But… I felt it was necessary. He should've been dead since he was shot.**

**The chapter's title, Shadows Fade Into The Light, is from the song 'What About Now' by Chris Daughtry. **


	43. Everything's Made to Be Broken

Dark Reflections

Chapter 43

Everything's Made to Be Broken

Jay was able to grab a hold of Vince just before the older man would have tackled Paul to the ground and beat the stuffing out of him.

"You son of a bitch! There was nobody around to help him after you left him to bleed to death!" He shouted.

Just as Vince finished up his sentence, the EMTs rushed into the room with cops not so far behind. The medics looked over at the group of wrestlers inquisitively. Chris pointed over to Shane and Randy. Jay pointed at Shawn. The medics looked at one another and nodded, splitting up to do their job. The higher-ranking cop stopped and looked around at everyone, who stood frozen with a deer in the headlights look.

"Good evening, folks," The cop continued looking around as he spoke. "My name is Detective Lieutenant Roché, and I was sent here to investigate a 911 call made by a… Randy Orton. Which one of you is Orton?"

Chris pointed to where Randy was.

"I think he's a little busy right now…" He replied.

Detective Lieutenant Roché turned to look at Randy, then nodded his head and sighed. He looked back at the other men in the room.

"Okay, we'll wait a little while."

Randy had his eyes closed and was resting his head against Shane's. He couldn't stop the tears from flowing, nor could he stop the sobs from shaking his body. He suddenly had the feeling that someone was standing over him, so he turned to look up at one of the medics. He knelt down in front of Randy and looked him in the eyes.

"Hello there… Are you hurt at all?" He asked.

Randy nodded his head no, then sighed as he prepared himself for what he was about to say.

"My friend… I think he's dead."

The look on the medic's face changed from neutral and friendly to completely concerned in less than ten seconds. He reached out and tried to find a pulse. When he couldn't find it, he turned around to look at the higher-ranking cop.

"Sir! We have a fatality!"

Detective Lieutenant Roché spun back around to look at the medic.

"What? The phone call didn't mention a fatality!" He shouted, then turned to look at Chris, Jay, Vince, Paul and Jason.

"That's because he wasn't dead when we called… We didn't think he had such a short time to live…" Chris explained, looking down at the floor as he did so.

Detective Lieutenant Roché sighed and walked over to Randy.

"Stand up, Mr. Orton… Let these men do their work. I need to speak with you and your friends."

Randy sighed and looked down at Shane's face, then slowly stood up and, with Detective Lieutenant Roché's help, stepped away from Shane without hurting him. The medic who was waiting to attend to Shane knelt down in front of him and put a hand to his face, deeply contemplating the situation in front of him. The medic looked up again and watched as Randy and Detective Lieutenant Roché walked over to Chris, Jay, Jason, Vince and Rodney.

"Now… Explain the situation to me." Detective Lieutenant Roché stated.

Randy pointed at Paul.

"Arrest him… Now…" He whispered, making Detective Lieutenant Roché nod. His partner, a Constable, grabbed a hold of Paul and slapped handcuffs on him, then dragged him out of the room.

"Why the medics?" Detective Lieutenant Roché asked.

Randy gestured over to Shawn.

"He was injected with a horse tranquilizer and needs help immediately." Randy replied.

Detective Lieutenant Roché made sure the medic who was working on Shawn heard what Randy said. The medic muttered something in French, then got on a Walkie Talkie and requested some back up.

"You okay, kid?" Chris asked, making Randy nod his head in response.

He didn't trust himself to talk.

"I hate to be so rude so soon, gentlemen. But we have two victims here and one man is in custody… I need to know what happened." Detective Lieutenant Roché stated, taking out a notepad and pen.

Detective Lieutenant Roché would've kept pestering them for information if two more medics didn't run into the room. One went over to Shane and the other went over to Shawn. Vince looked over at the two medics in front of his son. They were discussing the possibility of resuscitating him.

"Please," Vince shouted, making the two look over at him. "Don't put him through any more pain than he already went through…"

The medic who arrived first stood up and turned to face Vince.

"Mr. McMahon, are you saying you don't want us to try and resuscitate your son?" He asked.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying." Vince replied.

The medic nodded sympathetically and knelt back down to talk to the other medic, who was almost as equally confused as he was.

"If you don't mind..," Everyone looked back the Detective Lieutenant. "I need you to tell me what happened... I apologize for being pushy, but I need the facts as soon as possible."

"I know you need to do your job… But this is a really long, difficult and stressful situation that can't be explained in the amount of time you need it in." Jay stated, getting defensive in no time at all, making Detective Lieutenant Roché look at him oddly.

"Jay, please…" Vince stated.

"You should give this man some damn room. His son just died in his arms." Jay continued.

Detective Lieutenant Roché looked from Jay to Vince and back again.

"Que?" He shouted.

"Don't 'que' me! I'm Canadian! You heard what I said, dammit! Give this man some space!" Jay shouted.

Vince went from being composed to losing control of himself in a matter of seconds. Before he could even think about it, tears started leaking profusely from his eyes. He brought a hand to his face and kept it over his eyes, wiping tears away every so often. He fell against Randy, who was more than ready to catch him.

Detective Lieutenant Roché quickly became ashamed of his actions. He looked at Vince and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay, sir?" He asked.

"I'd leave him alone if I were you." Chris told the older man, who nodded and backed away slightly.

"I still need to know what happened here…" Detective Lieutenant Roché stated.

"I wasn't here the whole time, but Randy filled me in when I got here." Chris stated.

"I understand your willingness to help out, but I need someone who witnessed everything."

"There were no witnesses," Vince stated, pulling away from Randy and looking Detective Lieutenant Roché in the eyes. "That asshole you arrested is my son in law. He drugged his friend into unconsciousness and beat my son until he wound up bleeding to death in my lap."

"…Who was the first one here?" The Detective Lieutenant asked.

Randy raised his hand.

"Me. You see, this whole situation started a few months ago in Des Moines, Iowa. All of us are a part of or are in close communication with the wrestling organization called the WWE. A guy named Austin Payne kidnapped Shawn, the guy on the bed, from the arena. He was missing for about two months, which was when we were able to track him down and rescue him. A little while after Austin was sentenced to serve time in prison, Shane started figuring some things out, including the fact Paul, the guy you arrested, was in charge of the whole kidnapping. Paul and Shawn were once best friends. Anyway, one of our other friends visited Austin Payne in prison and got him to admit Paul's guilt in the whole situation, so he called Shane and Shane stormed over here to check on Shawn, who was already unconscious. Paul took it upon himself to beat Shane down… I don't know how, he never got the chance to tell me and Paul was gone by the time I got here. I called Chris, who called Jay, and they went to find Paul. I guess they ran in to Jason and Rodney and eventually caught Paul somewhere… I got Vince over here and we stayed with Shane… He stopped breathing when Chris and Jay got back, and that's when you got here."

Detective Lieutenant Roché looked down at the floor. He felt so many emotions at once. One of which was embarrassment for harassing the men in front of him. He watched as the two medics got Shawn out of the room, then turned to face the other two medics.

"Okay. Everyone out. I want Mr. McMahon to have some time with his son."

The medics nodded their heads and left the room, closely followed by Chris, Jay, Jason and Rodney. Randy was about to leave, but Vince grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Don't you dare think about leaving, Orton…"

Randy nodded and stayed behind.

"I'll be right outside the door if you need me." Detective Lieutenant Roché stated, then tipped his hat at Vince and left the room, closing the door behind him and standing guard in front of it.

It took Vince a moment to collect his thoughts. He grabbed a hold of Randy's hand and walked over to where Shane was. They sat down, one on each side and tried to think of what to do. Vince attempted to hold back his tears, but the thought of all the things he never told his son made him feel so overwhelmed with grief. He lowered himself to place his head on Shane's shoulder and cried. Randy turned to look at the wall as tears dripped from his eyes… Why did this have to happen to _them_?

Vince suddenly sat up straight again and hesitantly brought a hand to his son's cold cheek.

"Randy… Why didn't I ever tell this kid how much I love him?"

Randy raised an eyebrow at Vince's question.

"Vince… I think you're going a little senile on me, here… You told Shane you loved him every chance you got." Randy replied.

Vince looked at Randy and locked eyes with him.

"Randy, I never took the time to really talk to him. I never hung out with him. Hell, if he didn't always wear blue and black, I wouldn't have known they were his favorite colors. I can't tell you his favorite kind of music, his favorite movie or his favorite book."

Randy sighed and looked at the floor.

"His favorite shade of blue was sapphire… His favorite music was classic rock; favorite movie was _The Blues Brothers_ and his favorite book was _The Shining_ by Stephen King…"

Vince looked wide-eyed at Randy.

"See..? I never knew that." He stated.

"Not a lot of people did, Vince… Don't feel bad. I can guarantee you Shawn doesn't know any of that. Maybe _The Blues Brothers_ part, but only because of how many times Shane made us watch it."

Vince smiled at Randy, then looked back down at Shane and sighed.

"What am I going to do, Randy?"

Randy put a hand to Vince's chin and pushed it up so the two were looking one another in the eyes.

"You did all you could, Vince. Nobody knows when they're going to die. Nobody could have predicted this. If you told me at the beginning of the year that I was going to lose one of my best friends and someone I considered to be my older brother, I never would have believed you. Shane loved you more than anything in the world, Vince. I know you know that… Wanna know why? Because you're crying like you've never cried before in your life. You have to realize that you can't let this loss stop you. I mean… I know how you feel… We're all going to be reeling from this for a long time. But you and I made a promise to Shane, Vince. We have to carry out that promise or he won't be very happy."

Vince sighed and continued looking Randy in the eyes.

"How the hell am I going to tell my family?"

Randy furrowed his eyebrows and backed away a little, as if he was thinking about it. Before he could even come up with something that could be considered an acceptable answer, they heard a commotion from outside the room. Detective Lieutenant Roché was yelling in both French and English and, at some moments, a strange combination of both. The door opened and hit the wall with a bang, making Randy and Vince turn to look at the man in the doorway.

Steve Austin.

More tears leaked from Vince's eyes as soon as he realized the reason why Steve fought to get in the room… Why he probably rushed to the hotel…

Steve lowered his head in shame and felt tears pool up in his eyes.

"I'm too late…"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in ages. I had this all planned out before Christmas, but things got overwhelming and I decided to steer clear of my fanfics for a while. **

**The name of the chapter, 'Everything's Made to Be Broken' is a line in the song 'Iris' by The Goo Goo Dolls. **

**Hope you enjoyed the update. If I made you cry, I apologize. **


	44. Camisado

Dark Reflections

Chapter 44

Camisado

Vince sighed and continued staring at Shawn. The younger man had been unconscious for nearly 24 hours, and Vince sat by his side for the majority of the time. The hospital staff didn't have the heart to throw him out, so they let him stay by Shawn's bedside. Shane had died protecting Shawn. Vince wanted to be the one to tell him when he woke up.

_Not like it's going to sit well either way._

Vince closed his eyes and forced the tears away. He remembered how heartbroken Steve Austin was when he arrived nearly 20 minutes too late. How Chris Jericho ran in right behind Steve to try and console him. How Randy Orton rarely left his own side.

Another thing he would never forget was the looks on the faces of Stephanie and Linda when he told them everything.

Vince even stood by when Stephanie volunteered to call Shane's wife, Marissa, to tell her what happened. The young woman seemed oddly calm about it, almost as if she knew the whole time but waited for verification.

_Such a strange world we live in…_

Vince raised an eyebrow and looked back down at Shawn when he heard the younger man groan softly. He watched as Shawn slowly opened his eyes and winced against the harsh hospital lights. Shawn slowly looked around the room, then kept his eyes on Vince and sluggishly raised an eyebrow.

"Nice to see you awake, Shawn." Vince stated, offering Shawn a small smile.

"I'd like to be honest and say it's nice to see you… But I'm honestly very confused…" Shawn responded.

Vince sighed and wrung his hands together.

"Where do you want me to start?" He asked.

Shawn raised an eyebrow.

"Right after Shane left. Everything seems a little fuzzy after that."

Vince nodded his head, gnawing on his cheek to keep from breaking down.

"I don't know about everything that happened when you and Paul were alone… All I know is that he apparently injected you with a syringe full of a horse tranquilizer he got off of Austin Payne… Shawn, Paul was in on it the whole time. He's the one who set everything up." Vince explained.

"I know. Shane warned me there was something up with him." Shawn replied.

"I'm aware of that," Vince paused to look around the room, then looked back at Shawn. "Shane got a phone call from Steve Austin, telling him he had just revisited Austin Payne and got him to admit Paul was in on it instead of Bret, and he lied to cover it up. He told Steve that someone _had_ to get you away from Paul at all costs because of his original plans for you… Anyway, Shane stormed over to your hotel room and played dumb. After a few minutes, I called Randy Orton and told him to head over there to see what was going on."

Shawn nodded his head.

"Go on."

Vince sighed again and clasped his hands together.

"Randy… Got in the room and… Shane was on the ground, coughing up blood and bleeding from his chest. Turns out Paul hit him with a pipe. Shane was more concerned with getting you some help. He was able to get information from Paul before he did what he did. Anyway, Randy called Chris Jericho for some help, then called 9-1-1. Jericho got a hold of Jay Reso for extra help in finding Paul and Randy called me. Jericho and Jay ran into two members of the Mean Street Posse, Jason and Rodney, and the four of them tracked Paul down and caught him."

Shawn raised an eyebrow.

"What about Shane?" He asked.

Vince's mouth went dry. He heard the sad tone in Shawn's voice… And he hadn't even heard the worst of the news yet.

"I'm sorry, Shawn…" Vince whispered.

Shawn's eyes widened as he sat up slightly to look Vince in the eyes.

"What do you mean?" He asked, sounding slightly nervous.

"Shane didn't make it,"

Vince looked up in time to see Shawn burst into tears. He leaned forward and hugged Shawn, then started to cry with him almost instantly and involuntarily.

"Calm down, Shawn. Nobody could have predicted this."

Shawn pulled away from him to look him in the eyes.

"We're talking about your son here, Vince." Shawn whispered in between sobs.

"I know, Shawn. It hurts me, too. But I'm damn proud of him for standing up for what he believed in. He was protecting you, Shawn."

"And it's because of me that he's dead." Shawn stated.

"Don't look at it that way, Shawn. If it weren't for Shane doing what he did, you would be dead and your children would be fatherless." Vince replied.

"What about Shane's boys?" Shawn asked, glaring at Vince.

"They'll be taken care of, Shawn. Randy and I made a promise to my son, and we intend to keep it."

A few moments of awkward silence settled in. Shawn settled his eyes on something other than Vince, whereas Vince would occasionally glance at Shawn once in awhile to see what he was doing. To see if he could read his feelings like Paul used to do.

His attempts failed.

"I feel like… I knew something bad was going to happen."

"What do you mean?" Vince asked.

"When I saw Jay at the hotel the other day, he told me things get worse before they get better. I kept trying to think of what he meant, but nothing came to mind. And now all of this happened. It's… Crazy." Shawn replied.

Vince sighed again.

"Shawn… I just told you nobody could have predicted this. Randy helped me realize that the other night. Think about it this way… Would Shane want you upset right now?" Vince asked.

"No, but…"

"No but's, Shawn! He'd want you to smile and laugh. He'd want you to think of all the great times you had." Vince stated, once again offering Shawn a small smile.

Shawn took a moment to process what Vince had to say. He was right. Shane would kick his ass if he knew how upset he was. Shane wasn't the person who would want someone to mourn his death.

Too bad. It was going to happen, anyway.

"He was a great kid." Shawn whispered.

"I know." Vince replied.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'd estimate there will only be about two or three more left before it's finished. **

**The name of the chapter, 'Camisado,' is a song by Panic! At the Disco. **


	45. Swallowed Pride But Spit Out Fire

Dark Reflections

Chapter 45

Swallowed Pride But Spit Out Fire

"I want answers right now, dammit! What are you planning on doing?" Vince asked.

Detective Lieutenant Roché looked back at Vince again. His partner, Constable Claudin, was equally as confused as he was. Vince had barged into the precinct no more than 15 minutes ago, shouting about what was going to happen to Paul and where Shane's body was. Both men sighed. They knew it must've been difficult, but they just didn't have the answers.

"Mr. McMahon, if you're willing to wait 20 minutes, I think I have someone coming here who can talk to you…" Detective Lieutenant Roché stated.

Vince glared at him.

"Twenty minutes? Why should I have to wait that long for someone to come here and talk to me? Shouldn't you guys have the answers?"

"We should, Mr. McMahon… But we don't. I apologize." The Detective Lieutenant replied.

Vince narrowed his eyes angrily and sighed.

"Fine. I'll wait."

"Lovely. Follow us, please." Constable Claudin stated.

Vince crossed his arms over his chest and followed the two police officers to an examination room, where he was told to sit down and wait.

No more than 10 minutes later, Detective Lieutenant Roché entered the room.

"Hello again, Mr. McMahon. I have someone here to talk to you… Please don't get freaked out or anything."

Vince raised an eyebrow.

"Why the hell would I…"

"Hello, sir."

Vince looked up at who just spoke.

"Aren't you Dan Aykroyd?" He asked in confusion.

"Yes, actually. I am."

Vince stood up from his chair and turned to face someone he never imagined he'd be meeting at a police station in Montreal, Dan Aykroyd.

"I'm Vince McMahon." He stated.

Dan shook his hand.

"It's a pleasure, sir."

"Will that be all, then?" Detective Lieutenant Roché asked.

"Yes. Thank you, Detective Lieutenant." Dan replied, not even turning to look at him again.

Detective Lieutenant Roché left the room and closed the door behind him.

Vince took his seat and watched as the infamous Dan Aykroyd took a seat across from him, staring at him in amazement. An actor? Talking to him about police business? What could he possibly offer that the legit cops couldn't?

"It's kind of weird that they call you, of all people, to come here to talk to me." Vince stated.

"The police are fond of bringing me in as a consultant. Not many people know this, but I actually own a badge and I ride shotgun from time to time with the police." Dan explained, opening a folder and looking at the documents inside.

"What's that?" Vince asked.

"The file I received from the Detective Lieutenant describing what happened over the last few days… Your boys like to get in trouble, don't they?" Dan asked.

"My son is dead." Vince replied.

Dan stopped flipping pages and stared at the table. He swallowed hard and looked up at Vince.

"I'm sorry for your loss, sir… It wasn't my intention to hurt your feelings or bring up any painful memories… I was, however, referring to your employees…" Dan stated, gesturing to the police reports.

"What do they say?" Vince asked, leaning further across the table so he could try and read the report.

Dan sighed and moved his chair closer to the other side of the table so he was sitting next to Vince.

"Well, they're basically the forms your employee… Paul Levesque… Filled out after your son was shot, that one cop was killed and Michael Hickenbottom was… Knocked unconscious," Dan pointed to a certain part of the report. "This is where things get strange… Almost as if Paul knew what was going to happen before it actually did. He's trying to cover himself up there. See it?" Dan asked.

Vince nodded his head yes.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

Dan shrugged his shoulders.

"They probably assumed he was really shaken up after all of this happened. I mean, who would accuse someone of being responsible for the kidnapping and torture of his best friend? It just seems too… Hollywood."

"Coming from you, I'd take that as a compliment… I only wish I'd thought of it, we could've made money from it." Vince stated.

Dan smiled semi-awkwardly. He wasn't sure if Vince wanted him to laugh.

"Ahem. Anyway. Did anyone fill out a... Aha, here it is… Randy Orton… He's very thorough about things. It's a damn shame all of this happened… Do you have any questions you want answered that the dimwits at this police station can't answer for you?" He asked.

Vince folded his hands and turned to look at Dan in the eyes.

"Well, I want to know a few things, actually… What are they going to do with Paul?" Vince asked.

Dan sighed and turned to face Vince.

"Well… That's somewhat difficult to answer… I mean… I would assume his lawyer would try to see what they're going to do with him. Since Mr. Levesque did commit a crime here, the majority of the crimes he committed were in the United States, so he'd probably have to go back to the States to get tried there, since he's a citizen and all. Since there's a fellow in a prison in Ohio that can testify against Mr. Levesque, they'll most likely try him in Ohio. I'm not fully sure about that, seeing as to how I'm not a lawyer."

"I'm surprised you were even able to answer me in the slightest… Now… Where do they have my son? And what are they going to do with him?"

Dan put a hand on Vince's shoulder.

"Your son is at the morgue, Mr. McMahon. When you go back to the States, they'll… Send him back with you. I can't imagine what you're going through, Mr. McMahon. I'm very sorry for your loss… Is there anything else I can help you with? I mean… Anything at all?"

Vince sighed and forced a sad smile.

"No thank you. I'm good… For now…"

Dan raised a very sarcastic eyebrow.

"You're not convincing me. Everyone can use a little bit of support. Are you doing anything after this?" Dan asked.

"No."

"Good. Come with me. We're gonna go out for a drink."

* * *

**A/N: I guess I really need to explain Dan Aykroyd's existence in a wrestling fanfiction. What I mentioned about him in the chapter was true; he actually does have a badge that he carries with him **_**everywhere**_**. He owns a police motorcycle, wrote a handbook for the Canadian police and rode shotgun with them. And yes, he's actually a consultant to the police… So I figured it would be an okay thing to bring him in to talk to Vince about that kind of stuff… **

**I think there will only be three more chapters left… I'm not going to write a funeral chapter for Shane unless you guys want to read one. **

**The name of the chapter, 'Swallowed Pride But Spit Out Fire' is a line in the song 'Bounce' by The Cab.**


	46. Tonight

Dark Reflections

Chapter 46

Tonight

Randy Orton sat at the bar and sighed, delicately swirling the vodka in his shot glass.

He had been in this bar for the better part of three hours; casually sipping on any type of alcohol the bartender would give him. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone. One of his best friends had just died no more than 48 hours prior to this moment and he just wanted some time to himself so he could be miserable.

_Wonder how the fans are going to react to it whenever Vince decides to tell them…_

Randy brought the glass to his lips and sipped the vodka. It was a little too sweet for his taste. He turned to look at the front door when it sounded like someone broke through them. Instead, it was just some guy semi-drunkenly stumbling into the bar.

Randy looked away and rolled his eyes in disgust. Some people had absolutely no…

"Hey kid."

Randy turned to look at who just stumbled over to him and spoke to him with a Southern slur.

Steve Austin.

"Steve..? What are you..? Are you _drunk_!" Randy couldn't help himself.

Steve looked around and sluggishly shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't think I am, thanks for asking. Why don't I join you? I can teach you how to take a shot like a man."

"No thanks, Steve. I mean… You can join me. But I don't want to do shots. I'm fine with just… Casually sipping my drink." Randy replied.

Steve sat down on the stool next to Randy and turned to look at him like he just insulted his dog.

"What's the point of sitting here and sipping alcohol if you won't be able to feel the burn from it?" Steve asked, making Randy turn to look him in the eyes.

"I'm not looking for a way to numb the pain, Steve. I just want the chance to think to myself."

"You'd feel better if you numbed it." Steve replied.

"Why? So it can hit me twice as hard when I remember it?" Randy snapped.

Steve went silent. He turned to the bartender and signaled for a shot of vodka. Once he received it, he drank the shot in one gulp and asked for another. Randy rolled his eyes in disgust, silently hoping Steve wouldn't get too obnoxious since he was obviously wasted before he even stepped foot into the bar he was in.

Randy turned to look at the door randomly and was surprised to see Chris Jericho, Jay Reso and Shawn walk in. They seemed to know he was there because they walked right over to him.

"Hey Randy." Jay greeted.

"What's up, guys? What brings you here?" Randy asked.

"We just wanted to get out of the hotel. Shawn, on the other hand… Wanted to be alone. You know how he gets." Chris teased.

"Can't a man be left alone to mourn in peace? Jesus Christ." Shawn grumbled, rolling his eyes in disgust.

"Calm the fuck down, Shawn. I was only joking." Chris stated, glaring at the older man.

"I'm in no mood for your shit, Irvine." Shawn replied, turning to look at Chris but not looking him in the eyes.

Chris understood. He didn't know why, but he did. The situation hurt way beyond what words could express.

"Let's get a table in the corner. I think we should be alone." Randy stated.

"Yeah, definitely. Come on, drunky." Jay stated, grabbing Steve by the arm and guiding him over to the table in the far corner of the bar.

The waiter walked over to where they were sitting and took their order for drinks.

Everyone at the table was surprised when they heard Shawn ask for an alcoholic beverage. It wasn't enough to get anyone tipsy, but it was still a shock to hear the words 'White Russian' come out of his mouth.

"Well, now this is random." Chris stated, gesturing to the two men who just walked into the bar.

The men at the table turned to acknowledge Vince McMahon and Dan Aykroyd's presence in the bar. The bartender was extremely shocked to see both men there, however, he was more shocked to see Dan than anything else. He gestured for Dan to walk over to him, so he did, and then proceeded to start mumbling to him in French. Vince stood around and waited until they were done, then they continued their journey to the back of the bar.

"Hey Vince." Randy stated.

"Hello everyone. Guys, this is Dan Aykroyd. Dan this is Shawn, Randy, Steve, Chris and Jay." Vince stated, gesturing to each man as he said his name.

Dan made the effort to shake everyone's hand. They sat down in the two remaining spots, Dan next to Shawn and Vince next to Jay. The waiter walked back over to the table and asked Vince and Dan what they wanted.

"Irish Car Bomb." Vince replied, not even thinking.

Randy, Steve and Chris turned to look at him like he was absolutely insane. Jay, on the other hand, lowered his eyes and kept them on the table.

"Oh, Vince…" He whispered.

Vince looked over at them and raised a confused eyebrow.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" He asked.

"Shane used to order those." Randy replied.

Vince felt his breath hitch and looked down at the table. He felt a hand on his shoulder and was shocked as hell to see it was Dan's.

"It's okay, Mr. McMahon. Don't feel upset about something like that. You shouldn't have to stop acknowledging things your son liked just because he's gone now… Think of it this way… He's not really gone, because his spirit will live on with each and every one of you," Dan offered a sweet smile, then turned to look at the waiter. "I'll have what he's having… And please bring back a round of shots for the table. I don't care what they are. Surprise us."

The waiter nodded his head and ventured off to get the drinks.

"Why did you order a round of shots?" Jay asked.

Dan shrugged his shoulders.

"Seems like everyone needs one. And yes, I'm well aware that Randy has been here for about three hours, Steve stumbled in drunk and Shawn isn't that much of a drinker… The bartender filled me in."

Vince turned to look at Dan with an eyebrow raised.

"You understand rapid French?"

Dan raised a sarcastic eyebrow back at Vince.

"Yes. I also understand German and a little bit of Russian."

"Yeah, Vince. Jesus, haven't you ever seen _Spies Like Us_ or _Loose Cannons_?" Chris asked.

Vince glared at Chris.

"Obviously not. I had more important things to worry about than the next movie hitting theaters."

"Calm down, Vinnie Mac. I was only kidding." Chris replied.

"Everyone is on edge. I think we have a right to be." Jay stated.

An awkward silence came over the table as the waiter returned with the drinks everyone ordered. He disappeared for a moment, then reappeared with the shots and left again.

"Everyone take one." Dan directed, quite sternly.

Without arguing, everyone reached over and grabbed a shot glass full of whatever concoction the bartender decided to give them.

"I still don't understand the…" Jay's voice trailed off when he saw the agitated look in Dan's eyes.

"Raise your glass," Dan stated.

Everyone did as he said without question.

"Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blending's and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life… From what I've heard, Shane was a great guy who was willing to do anything for his friends. He was smart, witty and caring. There's one thing I know for sure… This young man's death won't go in vain. He'll live on in each and every one of you and everyone else whose lives he touched. Here's to Shane McMahon... May the time he lived teach us all how to love a little better."

* * *

**A/N: The beginning part of Dan's eulogy is a quote by John Muir. **

**Two more chapters until this is over. Isn't it shocking? **

**The name of the chapter, 'Tonight,' is a song by FM Static. If you haven't heard it, I suggest you listen to it and/or read the lyrics, then think about this chapter. Every time I have difficulties dealing with the loss of my mother, I put the song on repeat and just think to myself. It's a dumb idea, but it usually helps a little. **


	47. Break Free

Dark Reflections

Chapter 47

Break Free

Shawn sat down on one of the couches in the living room of the McMahon mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut and sighed. He had been there for two days already, sitting around with the McMahon family and close friends, which included but were not limited to Randy, Steve, Chris and Jay.

Marissa had arrived a day before. She was her usual self, which was quite surprising. Vince did mention Marissa took the news very well over the phone, kind of like she knew it was coming but was waiting to hear it from someone.

"Shawn?"

Shawn looked up and noticed Stephanie was standing in front of him. He stood up to face her.

"Yes, Princess?"

Stephanie smiled at his nickname for her. A lot of the guys had called her 'Princess' in the past, but something about the way Shawn said it always made her feel good.

"I have a surprise for you." She replied.

"If you're not going to say I'm dreaming, I really don't want to hear it…"

Shawn's voice trailed off when he saw Rebecca walk into the room. He started breathing heavier than usual, then gently brushed Stephanie out of the way and ran over to Rebecca to hug her.

They hugged for what felt like hours, but it was merely just a minute or two. Rebecca pulled away from Shawn and wiped the tears from his face.

"I missed you… So much." She told him.

Shawn smiled and nodded his disagreement.

"Nowhere near as much as I missed you."

She winced at how much his voice was breaking. It really broke her heart to see him that upset. Rebecca turned and noticed Stephanie had left the room, so the two walked over to the couch and sat down.

"It's a shame you weren't allowed to come home." Rebecca stated after a few moments of unbearable silence.

"I know. It wasn't fair." Shawn replied.

He suddenly felt extremely awkward. How many questions was Rebecca going to ask about what happened?

"Cameron and Cheyenne are with your parents for now… They're going to fly up for the funeral on Tuesday… If you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind… I really miss them." Shawn replied.

"Relax, Shawn. I'm just saying… You don't seem yourself… And I really wish you'll talk to me about it eventually." Rebecca stated.

Shawn looked down at the floor.

"I don't think you understand what I'm going through right now… It's not only the fact Shane's death is weighing heavy on my conscience… It's this whole thing with Paul and the kidnapping… How could he come to hate me _so_ much that he felt the need to do what he did? He ruined my life, Becky." Shawn replied, his voice breaking.

Rebecca watched as he fought back tears and sighed.

"I don't know, Shawn. I honestly wish I could tell you… But, sadly, only Paul knows the truth about that. And, quite frankly, I want nothing to do with him after what he did to you. I think you shouldn't give him a second thought. I understand it'll be hard for you because you were friends for so long, but he doesn't deserve you in his life after what he did."

Shawn nodded and looked back at Rebecca.

"I know. Trust me, I agree with you. But I just need time to let everything settle."

Rebecca's small smile faded when she took a whiff of the air.

"Have you been drinking?" She asked.

"Yes."

"What? How much?"

"Not that much. I had a White Russian and two shots on Thursday in a bar with Vince, Jay, Chris, Randy, Steve and Dan Aykroyd… Got back here and had some vodka."

"Shawn… Please don't drown yourself in your sorrows." Rebecca whispered.

"I'm not. I'm just trying to numb my conscience."

"Even that's dangerous." Rebecca teased.

"I know. But, at this point, I honestly can't help myself. Not after everything that's happened. I think I deserve some type of release." Shawn replied.

"Drinking, Shawn? I… Don't think it's right."

Shawn sighed again.

"I know… But… You just have to understand what's happened."

"I will if you talk to me." Rebecca stated without hesitation.

Shawn looked down at the floor and sighed. He contemplated the pros and cons of telling his wife everything.

"I… I want to talk to you… It's just that… I mean…"

"You're nervous." Rebecca stated.

Shawn looked back at her and nodded his head yes, then looked back at the floor.

"Yeah… I'm nervous."

Rebecca scooted a little closer to Shawn and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, bringing him closer to her with the movement. His head was now resting on her shoulder, and her head was against his.

"Shawn, you know I love you more than anything in the world. Nothing can change that. Nothing at all."

Shawn took a few moments to think. He pulled away from Rebecca to look her in the eyes.

"After everything that happened to me… I think the thing that hurt the most was finding out Paul was the cause of all of this. He arranged the whole thing, and he didn't even show emotion when Vince told him Shane was dead."

Rebecca stared at Shawn in shock.

"I'm so sorry, Shawn. I can't imagine what you're going through, but I'm more than willing to help you with anything you need."

"I think I just need someone to talk to… I'll talk now… If you'll listen."

Shawn looked up at Rebecca with those undeniable green puppy dog eyes.

"Of course I'll listen." She replied.

Shawn sighed.

"How much do you know?"

"Not that much. Paul only told me about some guy snagging you from the arena. Nothing else." Rebecca replied.

Shawn sighed again, not only because of all the information he had to fill his wife on, but because she had mentioned Paul's name. He never realized hearing it would hurt so much.

"I'll start with that night, then… Paul and I were in the locker room, chatting about D-X. He decided he was going to go and get a drink. So, he left. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, so I got up to open it. It was a man who identified himself as Jack Traven, a police officer from a local precinct, and he even flashed a phony police shield. He said that the precinct received calls about D-X related disturbances in a local neighborhood, and he asked if either Paul or I would accompany him to the precinct to clear everything up. He was pretty clear he wanted Paul to go with him, but I convinced him that Paul was busy and he agreed to let me go. As I turned to get my coat I remembered hearing the name 'Jack Traven' in a movie with Keanu Reeves, so I questioned him about it. Next thing I knew I was hit in the head with something and knocked to the ground then stomped on and assaulted some more with a blunt object. He then led me from the locker room and tossed me in a car. I woke up 4 days later in his house in Fremont, Ohio…"

Rebecca rubbed Shawn's shoulder.

"What happened after that?"

"Um… It was pretty much nothing but beatings. I spent most of the time observing the inside of my eyelids."

"So… Unconscious?"

"Correct. And, if I was awake, I don't really remember anything."

"Because you choose not to?" Rebecca asked.

Shawn narrowed his eyes slightly at his wife.

"No. Well… Maybe. I don't know, okay? Maybe I just don't remember it because I was half conscious. Maybe I don't remember it because I don't want to. Did it ever cross your mind that this is really difficult for me to deal with?"

Rebecca looked at Shawn in shock.

"Relax! Shawn, I understand you're frustrated. I can't imagine what you're going through. But you're going to have to talk to someone about it. You can't keep everything inside."

Shawn looked down at the floor.

Rebecca watched as Shawn got up and walked over to the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room. She wanted to stop him, but figured it would be useless and the only thing that would come of it is an extremely pissed off husband. She watched him pull out a bottle of vodka, open it and take a few sips.

He turned back to look at her once half of the bottle was gone.

"The hell I can."

* * *

**A/N: Hellllooooo everyone. As you may or may not know, this is the second to last chapter of Dark Reflections. I hope you're all psyched for the end. I know I am. **

**I don't know if you remember or not, but I'm **_**not**_** writing a funeral chapter… Unless the majority of you want to read one.**

**The name of the chapter, 'Break Free,' is a line in the song 'I'll Run' by The Cab. **


	48. Don't Look Back In Anger

Dark Reflections

Chapter 48

Don't Look Back In Anger

Once the funeral was over, everyone went back to the McMahon residence.

Vince was standing in the living room, looking out the window. There were dozens of people standing around the room, talking to one another. Telling stories to ease the pain. Steve Austin put a hand on Vince's shoulder, making the older man turn to look him in the eyes.

"You don't have to… You know… Be strong. I know you want to because you don't want anyone else to see you upset. But… I want you to know I'm here to listen." Steve stated.

Vince raised an eyebrow and considered Steve's words.

"I'm okay, Steve. Thanks for your concern, though."

Steve smiled and walked away, allowing Randy the opportunity to approach his boss.

"Hey Vince."

"Hello, Randy. That eulogy you delivered was just… Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for those extremely kind words." Vince stated with a smile.

"Ah, you know me. Just telling the truth… I think some of those stories had to be heard by people attending the funeral. Not everyone got to know Shane as well as we did." Randy replied.

"You're absolutely right, Randy."

"I thought your eulogy was great, too. Short, but sweet." Randy stated.

"That's how Shane liked it. God, did that kid hate board meetings. I used to see his notes scattered on his desk sometimes… They were completely covered in either highlighter or Sharpie. I was talking about stocks and he was drawing Pacman and writing 'wakka wakka' in different colors."

Randy nearly spit out his drink. Not only did he find what Vince said highly amusing, it completely caught him off guard. He laughed out loud once he got over his near-death experience.

"His mind sure did wander quite frequently." Randy stated once he regained his composure.

"Yes, that it did. But nobody complained about it that much, which is good," Vince paused to flash a smile at Randy, then looked around the room and frowned.

"Have you seen Shawn and Rebecca anywhere?" He asked.

Randy paused to look around the room. He looked back at Vince and shrugged his shoulders.

"I saw him earlier, around the time we got here. I don't know where he went since then… I'd imagine he'd be with his kids or something. He hasn't seen them in ages."

Vince sighed and looked at the floor.

"I know… I feel so guilty about that…"

Randy raised a confused eyebrow.

"Does that mean you were the one behind the whole 'Shawn can't go home' thing? Or was Paul involved in that, too?" Randy asked.

Vince sighed again and looked back at Randy.

"A lot of it was my idea. Paul tried to tell me I was wrong about it… So did Shane. I should have listened to them. Shawn wouldn't be so… Messed up in the head… And Shane would probably be alive right now."

Randy put a hand on Vince's shoulder.

"Listen, Vince. We can't look back in anger. We have to accept that we made these decisions as intelligent grown men and nothing we can do can change them. We thought they were right at the time… That's the best that can be said. Even if you did send Shawn home, do you think he would have been safe? Paul probably would have scheduled something else to happen to him. Maybe one of his kids would have died… Rebecca could have died. How do you think that would have turned out?" Randy asked.

Vince stared at him in shock.

"…You're right. We can't dwell on the past, can we?" Vince asked.

"No. We can't. Especially with this situation. There's no book on how to act after the dust settles. Nothing could have helped us." Randy replied.

Vince sighed again.

"I presume you're right. Something bad would have happened either way. We were just trying to do right by Shawn."

"Yes, we were. And I think we did, to a certain extent. By keeping him around us for as long as possible, we prevented any harm from going to his family. That's a good thing, especially for someone in his mental state." Randy stated.

Vince looked at Randy with wide eyes.

"You're pretty damn smart."

Randy shrugged his shoulders and smirked.

"I learned from the best."

* * *

Shawn was sitting outside, enjoying the sun and the slight breeze in the air. It was one of the most gorgeous days in quite some time. His son Cameron was off in the distance, entertaining his younger sister Cheyenne, as well as Declan and Kenney McMahon, and, of course, Aurora Levesque. Shawn sighed as he stared at Shane's boys. What were they going to do without their father?

Better yet, what was _he_ going to do without Shane?

Sure, there were people who had a stronger emotional attachment to the kid, but Shawn always had a strong relationship with Shane. Shane was the one who kept Shawn the drug addict from storming around and getting into more trouble than he already did. He attempted to keep him sane during the most recent ordeal. Hell, Shane was one of the very few people Shawn actually listened to.

Now his only form of sanity for the last two or three months was gone. Marissa was without a husband. Declan and Kenney were without their father. Stephanie was without her brother. Vince and Linda were without their son.

And their son in law.

But nobody gave a fuck.

_Today is about Shane_, Shawn told himself. _Paul is not raining on this parade. He brought this on himself. He's going to suffer alone._

Shawn once again looked up and sighed. His day possibly couldn't go any slower, could it?

"You should really calm down a bit, you know,"

Shawn raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"Being anxious about the day isn't doing you any good, neither is thinking about Paul. You need to clear your mind… It's too crowded in there as it is."

Shawn narrowed his eyes. He couldn't quite place the voice.

It wasn't until a certain smell in the air… Some type of cologne… Caught his attention and he realized who it was.

"Shane?"

* * *

**A/N: And, just like that… That's the end of Dark Reflections. **

**It's been quite a ride, hasn't it? I thought it was quite fitting that I end this story on the four-year anniversary of the day I posted it. **

**I want to thank every single one of you that joined me on this hellacious ride, whether you were attached from the very beginning or joined on 20 chapters into the story. I don't care. You still made this story and all of the crazy updates possible. **

**I know the name of the chapter, 'Don't Look Back In Anger,' is a song by Oasis, but that's not where I got it from… It was the name of a skit performed on Saturday Night Live in the late 70's, which showed John Belushi as an old man visiting the graves of the other Not Ready For Primetime Players, seeing as to how he was the sole survivor. I thought it was appropriate. **

**Once again, thank you for all of the love and support over the last four years. Feel free to check out my other stories. **


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